bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting the dimerization of persistent nitrogen‐centered 1‐phenyl urazole radicals to tetrazanes
Authors: Breton Gary W.
Published: January 2018

1‐Phenyl urazole radicals are persistent air‐stable nitrogen‐centered radicals that engage in an equilibrium with the corresponding N―N tetrazane dimers in solution. While the equilibrium typically weakly favors the dimer form, for some 1‐phenyl urazole radicals bearing substituents at the ortho position of the benzene ring, the equilibrium instead strongly favors the dimer form. With the recent surge of interest in the properties and potential applications of heterocyclic radicals, the factors that affect this equilibrium are important to determine. We examined the effect of the extent of ortho substitution (none, 1, or 2 substituents) on the equilibrium by experimentally using variable temperature 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and UV‐visible spectroscopy in addition to supporting computational investigations at the (U)B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level of theory. We confirmed that the equilibrium generally favored the dimer in all cases. However, the equilibrium was more favorable towards dimer formation for urazole radicals substituted with 1 and 2 ortho substituents on the aromatic ring. The activation enthalpies for dissociation of singly substituted dimers were greater than that for dimers without ortho substituents, but lower than that for doubly substituted dimers. The greater preference for dimer formation for the ortho‐substituted urazole radicals is attributed to a greater enthalpic advantage for N―N bond formation. This advantage may be traced to a higher concentration of spin density on the urazole unit of the radicals and a lesser deformation energy required for N―N bond formation.
Insert Zn Nanoparticles into the 3D Porous Carbon Ultrathin Films as a Superior Anode Material for Lithium Ion Battery
Authors: Wu Xuan , Xing Zheng , Zhao Yulong , Qi Xiujun , Wang Hong , Zhao Wei , Cui Yongli , Ju Zhicheng
Published: January 2018

A flexible strategy is exploited to insert Zn nanoparticles into the pores of highly stable 3D network of carbon ultrathin films (P‐Zn/C) that can effectively localize the postformed Zn nanoparticles, thereby solving the problem of structural degradation, and thus achieve improved anode performance. A maximum capacity of 657.3 mA h g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1 after 50 cycles is achieved for P‐Zn/C. Even at a high current density of 2 A g−1, a capacity of 653 mA h g−1 is maintained after 1000 cycles, indicating that it could be a promising anode for lithium ion batteries. By comparing the capacitive and diffusion contribution qualitatively and quantitatively, the result reveals that the enhanced electrochemical performance mainly originates from the pseudocapacitance storage mechanism.
High‐Efficiency, High‐Power AlGaInP Thin‐Film LEDs with Micron‐Sized Truncated Cones as Light‐Extraction Structures
Authors: Wang Xue‐lun , Kumagai Naoto , Hao Guo‐dong
Published: January 2018

Micron‐sized truncated cones with a top surface diameter and a height on the order of the emission wavelength are prepared on the light‐extraction surface of a high‐power thin‐film AlGaInP red LED as the light‐extraction structure. An external quantum efficiency of ≈39.3% is obtained from a 1 × 1 mm2 device after resin encapsulation at an injection current of 120 mA at room temperature (≈25 °C). The light‐extraction process in this device is investigated by means of a finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulation and is compared with that in a conventional AlGaInP thin‐film LED with a randomly rough texture as the light‐extraction structure. It is found theoretically that the extraction efficiency of light per single surface incidence of the device with the micron‐sized truncated cones is a few tens of percent higher than that of a device with a randomly rough texture on the light‐extraction surface. The combined effect of evanescent wave scattering at facet edges and direct extraction through some specific facets is attributed to be the main mechanism responsible for the enhancement in the light‐extraction efficiency, based on the FDTD simulation.
An impulsive‐switched‐system approach to aperiodic sampled‐data systems with time‐delay control
Authors: Ma Weiwei , Jia Xinchun , Yang Fuwen , Zhang Dawei
Published: January 2018

This paper devotes to the stability of aperiodic sampled‐data systems with time‐delay control, where the delays can impose a positive effect on the stability of the systems. The systems are modeled as impulsive switched systems with fixed switching laws. A novel separation theorem is presented to determine the Schur property of a matrix product and then used to obtain a less conservative stability criterion for the impulsive switched systems with fixed switching laws. By the separation theorem and a loop‐functional approach, some new stability and stabilization criteria for aperiodic sampled‐data systems with time‐delay control are provided in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the stability and stabilization results are tested on some classical numerical examples to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Efficient routing redundancy design over lossy networks
Authors: Smarra Francesco , Di Benedetto Maria Domenica , D'Innocenzo Alessandro
Published: January 2018

In this paper, a wireless networked control system is made robust with respect to packet losses by exploiting routing redundancy. Multiple copies of sensing and actuation data are sent via different routing paths, associated to possibly different delays. Similar to linear network coding, such data are recombined as a weighted linear combination. A MIMO output‐feedback architecture is considered. A methodology that takes into account both the network parameters and the plant dynamics is proposed to set up an optimization problem to design network weights to satisfy a robustness metric based on the notion of asymptotic mean‐square stability. Such metric induces either an objective or a constraint function that is nonlinear. For this reason, an efficient suboptimal design methodology is also proposed. Finally, the solutions are compared with the optimal choice from the communication designer point of view, which is based on the minimization of the quadratic error induced by the network on the actuation signal. The suboptimal methodology is shown, by means of a nontrivial example, to give results extremely close to the optimum with a strongly reduced computation time. It is also shown that the optimal choice from the communication design point of view, which neglects the plant dynamics, does not guarantee stochastic stability.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for distributed constrained optimal consensus under bounded input
Authors: Qiu Zhirong , Liu Shuai , Xie Lihua
Published: January 2018

In this paper, we study a distributed constrained optimal consensus problem for discrete‐time first‐order integrator systems under bounded input. Each agent is assigned with a local convex cost function, and all agents are required to achieve consensus at the minimum of the aggregate cost over a common convex constraint set, which is only accessible by part of the agents. A 2‐step control protocol is designed to solve the problem under bounded input. Firstly, at each time step, each agent moves a bounded step of the subgradient descent from an individual cost and another one along the projection direction if it can access the constraint. The second movement is then given by a bounded average of the relative positions to neighbors. Specifically, to coordinate the subgradient step within the network without using global information, we introduce an estimate of the upper bound of all agents' subgradients, which is updated by a unilateral consensus mechanism. Under the given control protocol, we obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions to achieve the constrained optimal consensus for a fixed topology. Under similar conditions, we also solve the problem for switching topologies and conduct a convergence rate analysis for strongly convex costs.
The effect of risk factor misclassification on the partial population attributable risk
Authors: Wong Benedict H.W. , Peskoe Sarah B. , Spiegelman Donna
Published: January 2018

The partial population attributable risk (pPAR) is used to quantify the population‐level impact of preventive interventions in a multifactorial disease setting. In this paper, we consider the effect of nondifferential risk factor misclassification on the direction and magnitude of bias of pPAR estimands and related quantities. We found that the bias in the uncorrected pPAR depends nonlinearly and nonmonotonically on the sensitivities, specificities, relative risks, and joint prevalence of the exposure of interest and background risk factors, as well as the associations between these factors. The bias in the uncorrected pPAR is most dependent on the sensitivity of the exposure. The magnitude of bias varies over a large range, and in a small region of the parameter space determining the pPAR, the direction of bias is away from the null. In contrast, the crude PAR can only be unbiased or biased towards the null by risk factor misclassification. The semiadjusted PAR is calculated using the formula for the crude PAR but plugs in the multivariate‐adjusted relative risk. Because the crude and semiadjusted PARs continue to be used in public health research, we also investigated the magnitude and direction of the bias that may arise when using these formulae instead of the pPAR. These PAR estimators and their uncorrected counterparts were calculated in a study of risk factors for colorectal cancer in the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study, where it was found that because of misclassification, the pPAR for low folate intake was overestimated with a relative bias of 48%, when red meat and alcohol intake were treated as misclassified risk factors that are not modified, and when red meat was treated as the modifiable risk factor, the estimated value of the pPAR went from 14% to 60%, further illustrating the extent to which misclassification can bias estimates of the pPAR.
Controlled pattern imputation for sensitivity analysis of longitudinal binary and ordinal outcomes with nonignorable dropout
Authors: Tang Yongqiang
Published: January 2018

The controlled imputation method refers to a class of pattern mixture models that have been commonly used as sensitivity analyses of longitudinal clinical trials with nonignorable dropout in recent years. These pattern mixture models assume that participants in the experimental arm after dropout have similar response profiles to the control participants or have worse outcomes than otherwise similar participants who remain on the experimental treatment. In spite of its popularity, the controlled imputation has not been formally developed for longitudinal binary and ordinal outcomes partially due to the lack of a natural multivariate distribution for such endpoints. In this paper, we propose 2 approaches for implementing the controlled imputation for binary and ordinal data based respectively on the sequential logistic regression and the multivariate probit model. Efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms are developed for missing data imputation by using the monotone data augmentation technique for the sequential logistic regression and a parameter‐expanded monotone data augmentation scheme for the multivariate probit model. We assess the performance of the proposed procedures by simulation and the analysis of a schizophrenia clinical trial and compare them with the fully conditional specification, last observation carried forward, and baseline observation carried forward imputation methods.
High‐Performance Organic‐Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells by Using Al‐Doped ZnO as Cathode Interlayer
Authors: Liu Peipei , Gao Pingqi , Liu Xiaohui , Wang Haiqiao , He Jian , Yang Xi , Zeng Yuheng , Yan Baojie , Fang Junfeng , Ye Jichun
Published: January 2018

Organic‐silicon heterojunction solar cells have recently emerged as a promising photovoltaic technique with the attractiveness of good performance and ease of processing. However, the poor collection property of electrons in cathodic interface is one of the most critical problems to be solved. In this study, a novel application of solution‐processed inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals of aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) is presented as cathode interlayer between the n‐type silicon (n‐Si) and rear aluminum (Al) electrode. With appropriate annealing temperature and doping concentration, the contact of n‐Si/AZO/Al exhibits a resistivity as low as 3 mΩ cm−2. It is found that annealing the spin‐coated AZO solution at 200 °C is benefit to both formation of uniform film and sufficient replacement Zn atoms with Al atoms. Chemical structure investigations reveal the existence of AlOSi bonds at the interface, which may help to reduce the dangling bonds of n‐Si and deliver improved passivation. These AZO thin films are successfully used in planar n‐Si/PEDOT:PSS heterojunction solar cells as efficient electron‐selective layers, rendering a 10% relative increase in efficiency over the reference cells (13.6 over 12.3%). Our finding fully demonstrates its promising potential of this low‐temperature solution‐processed AZO interlayer for applications not only in hybrid solar cells but also in other types of silicon‐based photovoltaic devices.
Polymeric Copper(II) Paddlewheel Carboxylate: Structural Description, Electrochemistry, and DNA‐binding Studies
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad , Ali Sqib , Tahir Muhammad Nawaz
Published: January 2018

A polymeric complex of copper(II) was isolated and purified from the self‐assembly of CuSO4 and 2‐phenyl acetate in aqueous medium. It was characterized through FT‐IR, UV/Vis, electron spin resonance, electrochemical solution studies, and powder and single crystal XRD techniques. The structure was revealed to consist of directly interconnected dimeric paddlewheel building units without any intervening ligand. This type of polymeric paddlewheel structures are found very rarely. Each copper is lying in a CuO5 square pyramid coordinated by four oxygen atoms in the square base while the axial oxygen belongs to the neighboring paddlewheel. Purity and uniform crystalline nature of the complex was assessed from matching theoretical and experimental powder XRD spectra. ESR spectrum consisted of a broad signal with g value = 2.2427, whereas electrochemical studies revealed diffusion controlled electron transfer processes with diffusion co‐efficient = 1.628 × 10–7 cm2·s–1. The results of spectroscopic techniques support each other. The complex afforded mixed binding mode with DNA yielding DNA‐binding constant values of 1.384 × 104 m–1 and 8.845 × 104 m–1 using absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The complex also exhibited significant activity against anti‐fungal strain Helminthosporium solani by inhibiting its 75 % ± 2.5 growth. The preliminary studies heralded excellent biological potential of the synthesized complex.
Two Nickel(II) Coordination Polymers Based on Tri(p‐carboxyphenyl) phosphane Oxide with Highly Selectively and Sensitively Detection of Acetone
Authors: Fang Kegong , Huo Liangqin , Gao Lingling , Fan Liming , Hu Tuoping
Published: January 2018

Two nickel(II) coordination polymers, namely, {[Ni1/2(TPO)1/3(bib)1/2(H2O)]·H2O}n (1), and [Ni(HTPO)(bpy)(H2O)2]n (2), were assembled from tripodal ligand of tripodal tri(p‐carboxyphenyl) phosphane oxide (H3TPO) and two N‐donors [bib = 1,4‐bis(imidazolyl)benzene, and bpy = 4,4′‐bipyridine]. Their structures were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis and further characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Structural analysis reveals that complex 1 is an interestingly 3D (3,4)‐connected {103}2{106}3 net, whereas complex 2 is a 1D polymeric chain, which was further expanded into a 3D supramolecular structure through hydrogen bonds. Luminescent sensing measurements show two nickel CPs can selectively and sensitively detect for acetone from normal solvents (DMF, DMA, DMSO, MeOH, EtOH, CH3CN, H2O, and N‐butanol).
Structural and microstructural analysis of K–Mg salt layers in the Zechstein 3 of the Veendam Pillow, NE Netherlands: development of a tectonic mélange during salt flow
Authors: Raith Alexander F. , Urai Janos L. , Visser Jacob
Published: January 2018

In fully developed evaporite cycles, effective viscosity contrasts of up to five orders of magnitude are possible between different layers, but the structures and mechanics in evaporites with such extreme mechanical stratification are not well understood. The Zechstein 3 unit in the Veendam salt pillow in the Netherlands contains anhydrite, halite, carnallite and bischofite, showing this extreme mechanical stratification. The Veendam Pillow has a complex multiphase salt tectonic history as shown by seismic reflection data: salt withdrawal followed by convergent flow into the salt pillow produced ruptures and folds in the underlying Z3-anhydrite–carbonate stringer and deformed the soft Z3-1b layer

We analysed a unique carnallite- and bischofite-rich drill core from the soft Z3-1b layer by macroscale photography, bulk chemical methods, X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. Results show high strain in the weaker bischofite- and carnallite-rich layers, with associated dynamic recrystallisation at very low differential stress, completely overprinting the original texture. Stronger layers formed by alternating beds of halite and carnallite show complex recumbent folding on different scales commonly interrupted by sub-horizontal shear zones with brittle deformation, veins and boudinage. We attribute this tectonic fragmentation to be associated with a softening of the complete Z3-1b subunit during its deformation. The result is a tectonic mélange with cm- to 10 m-size blocks with frequent folds and boudinage. We infer that these structures and processes are common in deformed, rheologically strongly stratified evaporites.
Seismic stratigraphy of Dinantian carbonates in the southern Netherlands and northern Belgium
Authors: Reijmer John J.G. , ten Veen Johan H. , Jaarsma Bastiaan , Boots Roy
Published: January 2018

Due to their potential as a petroleum or geothermal system, the Dinantian carbonates of the Netherlands have recently attracted renewed interest because of the identified presence of excellent reservoir properties. This notion contrasts with the general assumption that these carbonates are tight. Therefore, in order to give the current knowledge state, this paper re-examines the sparse publicly available well and seismic data and literature to assess the distribution and reservoir properties of the Dinantian carbonates.

Dinantian carbonate deposition occurred throughout the study area (southern onshore and offshore of the Netherlands and northern Belgium), which is situated on the northern margin of the London–Brabant Massif, progressively onlapping the latter structure. This study confirms the presence of three carbonate facies types in the study area: a Tournaisian low-gradient carbonate ramp system, succeeded by a succession in which the carbonate ramp system evolved to a rimmed shelf setting. Subsidence of the northern margin of the London–Brabant Massif resulted in a landward shift of the shallow-marine facies belts, while the formation of normal faults resulted in a ‘staircase’-shaped shallow-water platform–slope–basin profile, associated with large-scale resedimentation processes. After deposition, the limestone deposits were frequently exhumed and reburied. A first period of regional exhumation occurred at the end of the Dinantian, which seems to be associated with porosity-enhancing meteoric karstification, possibly limited to the palaeo-shelf edge. The most intense alterations seem to be present as a deep leached horizon below the Cretaceous unconformity at the top of the Dinantian sequences. In addition, clear evidence for hydrothermal fluid migration is found locally, enhancing reservoir properties at some places while occluding porosity at others. The timing of these phases of hydrothermal fluid circulation is poorly understood.

Whereas in the United Kingdom hydrocarbons have been produced from karstified Dinantian carbonates, this petroleum play has received little attention in the Netherlands. This paper shows that, also for the Netherlands, a karstic reservoir probably existed before the start of hydrocarbon generation from the onlapping basal Namurian shales. The hydrocarbon prospectivity of these sediments, however, is primarily controlled by the presence of both a karst-related reservoir and migration routes from a decent-quality source rock. Two geothermal projects producing from this reservoir in the southern onshore Netherlands have shown the potential of the Dinantian carbonates for ultra-deep geothermal projects. To conclude, the findings presented herein are relevant for studies of the hydrocarbon prospectivity and studies of the geothermal potential of Dinantian carbonates in the Dutch on- and offshore.
Pan-Asian Poetics: Tagore and the Interpersonal in May Fourth New Poetry
Authors: Gvili Gal
Published: January 2018

Rabindranath Tagore's visit to China in 1924 was a milestone in the May Fourth Movement's envisioning of modern literature as a vehicle for social transformation. Moving beyond interpretations of the visit as a political failure, this article locates the reception of Tagore's ideal of Eastern spirituality within the larger climate of literary production, specifically in new poetry. Through close reading of poems by Xu Zhimo and Bing Xin, this article argues that Tagore's ideas were fundamental for the development of poetry as an interpersonal medium that both portrays and effects social bonds. This understanding developed as Chinese poets and literary critics engaged with Tagore's critique of Western materialism and his positioning of Asian religious sensibilities in contrast to Western materialism. Tagore's view promoted literature as a medium connecting religion, the individual, and the universe. In this sense, though Tagore's pan-Asianism failed as a viable political project, it carried powerful resonance in the arena of modern Chinese literature.
HIV EPIDEMIC HETEROGENEITY IN ZIMBABWE: EVIDENCE FROM SUCCESSIVE DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS
Authors: Oseni Zainab , Seedat Farah , Kandala Ngianga-Bakwin
Published: January 2018

Zimbabwe has one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world. This study investigated data from two successive Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) conducted in 2005–06 and 2010–11. A random representative sample of 30,000 men aged 15–59 and women aged 15–49 was selected from the two surveys. The HIV prevalence was mapped with a flexible, coherent regression framework using a geo-additive semi-parametric mixed model. HIV indicator prevalence maps were constructed at the regional level, and at the administrative level relevant for policy design, planning and decision-making. Substantial regional variation was found, not only in the burden of HIV, but also in its risk factors. The results suggest that responses/policies should vary at the regional level to ensure that the often diverse needs of populations across a country are met and incorporated into planning the HIV response. The use of geographically referenced data in two successive ZDHS provides crucial new insights into the spatial characteristics of the HIV epidemic in Zimbabwe. In particular, it highlights the HIV heterogeneity across Zimbabwe, with substantial regional variation, not only in the burden of HIV, but also in its risk factors.
Investigation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume in patients with tinnitus
Authors: Ulusoy B , Bozdemir K , Akyol M , Mişe H İ , Kutluhan A , Korkmaz M H
Published: January 2018

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate patients with tinnitus in terms of mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width, and to explore neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, recently reported in the literature as being possible inflammation markers.

Methods:

This study comprised 64 tinnitus patients and 64 age-matched healthy controls. Statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05.

Results:

Mean platelet volume (t = 3.245, p = 0.002) and platelet distribution width (Z = 3.945, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the patient group than the control group.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that a prothrombotic condition might play a role in the pathophysiology of tinnitus.
Should we tax unhealthy food and drink?
Authors: Smith Emma , Scarborough Peter , Rayner Mike , Briggs Adam D. M.
Published: January 2018

The global burden of obesity leads to significant morbidity and has major economic implications. In April 2018, Britain will join a growing number of countries attempting to tackle this using fiscal measures when the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy is introduced. We review recent evidence from natural experiments of the impact of health-related food and drink taxes on consumer behaviour, and discuss the possible consequences of these approaches on purchases and health. We highlight some of the potential indirect consequences and the importance of robust prospective evaluation.
Style dominance: Attention, audience, and the ‘real me’
Authors: Sharma Devyani
Published: January 2018

Social constructivist approaches to style have moved away from the cognitive asymmetry that underpinned Labov's original attention-to-speech model, namely that a first-learned vernacular often has cognitive primacy. This study explores the interplay of cognitive and interactional effects in style variation. It reports on three related dynamics of style variation in one individual—Fareed Zakaria, an Indian-American media personality. First, we see Zakaria's robust English bidialectalism with American and Indian audiences. This strong audience effect is complicated by the second finding, which points to asymmetricstyle dominancein Zakaria's first-learned Indian style, which he subtly defaults to regardless of audience when his attention is diverted by such tasks as quickly counter-arguing or inserting parenthetical information. The third part of the study relates style dominance to agency: In a reflexive intra-personal process ofbiographical indexicality, speakers such as Zakaria may exploit their personal style biography and use their dominant variety to perform no-nonsense ‘real me’ stances in interaction. (Audience, attention, style variation, indexicality, repertoire, processing, bidialectalism, second dialect acquisition, speech rate)*
Measuring bilingual corpus comparability
Authors: LI BO , GAUSSIER ERIC , YANG DAN
Published: January 2018

Comparable corpora serve as an important substitute for parallel resources in cases of under-resourced language pairs. Previous work mostly aims to find a better strategy to exploit existing comparable corpora, while ignoring the variety in corpus quality. The quality of comparable corpora affects a lot its usability in practice, a fact that has been justified by several studies. However, researchers have not been able to establish a widely accepted and fully validated framework to measure corpus quality. We will thus investigate in this paper a comprehensive methodology to deal with the quality of comparable corpora. To be exact, we will propose several comparability measures and a quantitative strategy to test those measures. Our experiments show that the proposed comparability measure can capture gold-standard comparability levels very well and is robust to the bilingual dictionary used. Moreover, we will show in the task of bilingual lexicon extraction that the proposed measure correlates well with the performance of the real world application.
Researching Deals and Markets
Authors: Hunter Ian
Published: January 2018

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A), leveraged finance and capital markets are important markets for professional advisory firms such as investment banks, financial sector law firms and the ‘Big 4’ consultancies. While market totals are widely published in free sources, finding both sub-totals and lists of deals is more difficult and usually requires access to paid-for sources. In this article Ian Hunter considers the best paid-for and free sources and looks at the caveats in relying on them. In essence, he asks ‘why don't the sources agree?’ and provides a ‘jargon buster’ and a critique of sources in M&A, leveraged finance and capital markets.
Old-age provision in transition: the case of Croatia
Authors: WERDING MARTIN , PRIMORAC MARKO
Published: January 2018

Like in a number of other transition countries, the Croatian pension system comprises a traditional public pay-as-you-go scheme and a mandatory funded scheme (second pillar) that will provide increasing amounts of supplementary pensions to those entering retirement in the future. Due to the continuing economic crisis, the public scheme is currently under enormous financial strain, with a sizeable impact on central government finances. At the same time, the level of benefits deriving from the overall system is likely to become inadequately low in the long run. In this paper, we describe the existing system and project its future development under current rules. We also discuss options for further reforming the system and highlight their potential impact on pension finances, public budgets and retirement incomes, as this may provide lessons, which are of interest elsewhere.
THE IMPACT OF THE BLACK MEDIA ON DIFFUSE SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
Authors: Nie Mintao , Waltenburg Eric N.
Published: January 2018

Previous research suggests that the mainstream media’s portrayals of the U.S. Supreme Court as an objective and impartial institution contribute to its diffuse support among the public. This study explores what happens if people are not exposed to these messages, relying instead on information sources that portray the Court and its justices as being politically oriented and motivated. We use the 2003 Blacks and the U.S. Supreme Court Survey data and coarsened exact matching to examine the effect of exposure to the Black media, whose reports are less likely to include legitimizing symbols of the Court. We find that exposure to the Black media significantly lowers people’s diffuse support for the Court among both Blacks and Whites. This result indicates that differences between Blacks and Whites with respect to their diffuse support for the Court are likely to be a function of the informational environment to which they are exposed rather than race per se.
Community gardening in Stockholm: participation, driving forces and the role of the municipality
Authors: Bonow Madeleine , Normark Maria
Published: January 2018

The paper reports on a study of community gardening in Stockholm. We contribute to the body of knowledge about the sustainability of community gardens and this new form of citizen-led initiatives in Stockholm, with the ambition of creating a debate about the best way to sustain and develop these initiatives in Sweden. We argue that although community gardening may provide leverage for means of developing a sustainable city, it is a marginal phenomenon and contributes little to sustainable development its present form. Through interviews we have investigated how the citizens and municipality officers of Stockholm try to adapt to the renewed interest in community gardening by looking at the policy makers’, municipality officers’ and grassroots movements’ incentives to start community gardens. We specifically focus on how the community gardeners articulate their reasons for participating in collaborative initiatives in the city and how these expectations evolve when they are faced with the reality of gardening and the problems relating to producing food in the city. We have found that there are a growing number of citizens and local authorities advocating community gardening, but the sustainability and endurance of gardens are hampered by vague responsibilities, lack of leadership and unclear expectations of the outcome. Community gardening cases in Stockholm contribute to the debate by exemplifying how formal (e.g. policy making) and informal advocacy (e.g. civic engagement in community gardening) groups are collaborating, but also showing that they often have different agendas and initial motivations for setting up new gardens. We argue that uncritical enthusiasm results in an overly instrumental approach to governance of community gardening and that the sustainability and endurance of the community gardening is not an issue that the governing bodies plan for, and hence it is forgotten. We suggest some routes forward, involving employing facilitators from various stakeholders such as the municipality, housing companies and various NGOs.
Mortality after endovascular treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms – the newer the better?
Authors: Tzani Aspasia , Doulamis Ilias P. , Katsaros Ioannis , Martinou Eirini , Schizas Dimitrios , Economopoulos Konstantinos P.
Published: January 2018

Abstract. Although endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) presents a delicate alternative treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with lower perioperative mortality, its long-term efficacy remains a matter of concern. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the currently reported mortality evidence after EVAR and to examine the possible effect of aneurysm status and the study period on mortality rates. The PubMed and Cochrane bibliographical databases were thoroughly searched for studies reporting on more than 1 000 patients with non-ruptured or ruptured infrarenal AAA, treated with EVAR from August 1991 to September 2016. A total of 10 910 titles/abstracts were retrieved and 121 studies were deemed relevant. Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria and reported on 354 500 patients with a mean age of 74.6 years. Almost all of the studies referred to elective EVAR and the mean aneurysm size was 5.58 cm. The most common early complication for elective EVAR was perioperative bleeding (1.9 %), whereas hospital-acquired pneumonia was a major concern in urgent EVAR (28.5 %). Conversion rate to open surgery was 1.2 %. The 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 4.84 % (1.7 % for non- ruptured aneurysms, 33.8 % for ruptured aneurysms).The overall all-cause late mortality in a mean follow-up period of 23.8 months was 19.1 %. The aneurysm-related late mortality rate was 3.4 %. With respect to the time period of patient enrollment, studies reporting on patients recruited before 2006 were found to face more secondary complications and higher late mortality rates than patients enrolled after 2005.The endovascular treatment of large and anatomically suitable infrarenal AAA in selected patients remains a safe alternative to open repair. Our findings demonstrate that newer studies show better long-term outcomes than the older ones, proposing a possible improvement of EVAR techniques and perioperative care and providing encouraging evidence for a wider application of EVAR.
Dual roles of endothelial FGF-2–FGFR1–PDGF-BB and perivascular FGF-2–FGFR2–PDGFRβ signaling pathways in tumor vascular remodeling
Authors: Hosaka Kayoko , Yang Yunlong , Nakamura Masaki , Andersson Patrik , Yang Xiaojuan , Zhang Yin , Seki Takahiro , Scherzer Martin , Dubey Olivier , Wang Xinsheng , Cao Yihai
Published: January 2018

Perivascular cells are important cellular components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and they modulate vascular integrity, remodeling, stability, and functions. Here we show using mice models that FGF-2 is a potent pericyte-stimulating factor in tumors. Mechanistically, FGF-2 binds to FGFR2 to stimulate pericyte proliferation and orchestrates the PDGFRβ signaling for vascular recruitment. FGF-2 sensitizes the PDGFRβ signaling through increasing PDGFRβ levels in pericytes. To ensure activation of PDGFRβ, the FGF-2–FGFR1-siganling induces PDGF-BB and PDGF-DD, two ligands for PDGFRβ, in angiogenic endothelial cells. Thus, FGF-2 directly and indirectly stimulates pericyte proliferation and recruitment by modulating the PDGF–PDGFRβ signaling. Our study identifies a novel mechanism by which the FGF-2 and PDGF-BB collaboratively modulate perivascular cell coverage in tumor vessels, thus providing mechanistic insights of pericyte–endothelial cell interactions in TME and conceptual implications for treatment of cancers and other diseases by targeting the FGF-2–FGFR-pericyte axis.
Publisher Correction: Broad modulus range nanomechanical mapping by magnetic-drive soft probes
Authors: Meng Xianghe , Zhang Hao , Song Jianmin , Fan Xinjian , Sun Lining , Xie Hui
Published: January 2018

In the original version of this Article, the text labels on the bottom-right graph in Fig. 1c were inadvertently displaced during the production process. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Publisher Correction: Coherent diffractive imaging of single helium nanodroplets with a high harmonic generation source
Authors: Rupp Daniela , Monserud Nils , Langbehn Bruno , Sauppe Mario , Zimmermann Julian , Ovcharenko Yevheniy , Möller Thomas , Frassetto Fabio , Poletto Luca , Trabattoni Andrea , Calegari Francesca , Nisoli Mauro , Sander Katharina , Peltz Christian , Vrakking Marc J. , Fennel Thomas , Rouzée Arnaud
Published: January 2018

In the original version of this Article, the affiliation for Luca Poletto was incorrectly given as ‘European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Hamburg, Germany’, instead of the correct ‘CNR, Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie Padova, Via Trasea 7, 35131 Padova, Italy’. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Design and production of conjugate vaccines against S. Paratyphi A using an O-linked glycosylation system in vivo
Authors: Sun Peng , Pan Chao , Zeng Ming , Liu Bo , Liang Haoyu , Wang Dongshu , Liu Xiankai , Wang Bin , Lyu Yufei , Wu Jun , Zhu Li , Wang Hengliang
Published: January 2018

Enteric fever, mainly caused bySalmonella entericaserovarParatyphi A, remains a common and serious infectious disease worldwide. As yet, there are no licensed vaccines againstS.Paratyphi A. Biosynthesis of conjugate vaccines has become a promising approach against bacterial infection. However, the popular biosynthetic strategy using N-linked glycosylation systems does not recognize the specialized O-polysaccharide structure ofS.Paratyphi A. Here, we describe an O-linked glycosylation approach, the only currently available glycosylation system suitable for anS.Paratyphi Aconjugate vaccine. We successfully generated a recombinantS.Paratyphi Astrain with a longer O-polysaccharide chain and transformed the O-linked glycosylation system into the strain. Thus, we avoided the need for construction of an O-polysaccharide expression vector. In vivo assays indicated that this conjugate vaccine could evoke IgG1 antibody to O-antigen ofS.Paratyphi Astrain CMCC 50973 and elicit bactericidal activity againstS.Paratyphi Astrain CMCC 50973 and five other epidemic strains. Furthermore, we replaced the peptides after the glycosylation site (Ser) with an antigenic peptide (P2). The results showed that the anti-lipopolysaccharide antibody titer, bactericidal activity of serum, and protective effect during animal challenge could be improved, indicating a potential strategy for further vaccine design. Our system provides an easier and more economical method for the production ofS.Paratyphi Aconjugate vaccines. Modification of the glycosylation site sequon provides a potential approach for the development of next-generation “precise conjugate vaccines.”
Full-Wave Electromagnetic Optimisation of Corrugated Metallic Reflectors Using a Multigrid Approach
Authors: Karaova Gökhan , Altınoklu Aşkın , Ergül Özgür
Published: January 2018

A multigrid optimisation strategy is introduced to design passive metallic reflectors with corrugated shapes. The strategy is based on using genetic algorithms at multiple grids and shaping the metal sheets, starting from coarse details to fine tunings. This corresponds to a systematic expansion of the related optimisation space, which is explored more efficiently in comparison to a brute-force optimisation without using grid. By employing the multilevel fast multipole algorithm to analyse the electromagnetic problems corresponding to optimisation trials, we obtain accurately designed reflectors that provide focussing abilities with very high performances at single and multiple locations. The designed reflectors are also resistant to fabrication errors with less complex corrugations and simplified reflection mechanisms compared to those found by no-grid optimisation trials.
Effects of Renal Denervation on Cardiac Structural and Functional Abnormalities in Patients with Resistant Hypertension or Diastolic Dysfunction
Authors: Wang Shiying , Yang Suxia , Zhao Xinxin , Shi Jun
Published: January 2018

The aim of the present study is to systematically evaluate the impact of RDN on cardiac structure and function in patients with resistant hypertension (RH) or diastolic dysfunction. We retrieved Pubmed, Embase and Cocharane Library databases, from inception to April 1st, 2016. Studies reporting left ventricular mass (LVMI) or left ventricular (LV) diastolic function (reflected by the ratio of mitral inflow velocity to annular relaxation velocity [E/e’]) responses to RDN were included. Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 3 controlled studies and 11 uncontrolled studies were finally identified. In observational studies, there was a reduction in LVMI, E/e’ and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) at 6 months, compared with pre-RDN values. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) elevated at 6 months following RDN. In RCTs, however, no significant change in LVMI, E/e’, BNP, left atrial volume index or LVEF was observed at 12 months, compared with pharmaceutical therapy. In summary, both LV hypertrophy and cardiac function improved at 6 months after RDN. Nonetheless, current evidence failed to show that RDN was superior to intensive (optimal) drug therapy in improving cardiac remodeling and function.
Expression dynamics of miRNAs and their targets in seed germination conditions reveals miRNA-ta-siRNA crosstalk as regulator of seed germination
Authors: Sarkar Das Shabari , Yadav Sandeep , Singh Archita , Gautam Vibhav , Sarkar Ananda K. , Nandi Asis K. , Karmakar Prakash , Majee Manoj , Sanan-Mishra Neeti
Published: January 2018

Seed germination paves the way for the dormant embryo to establish itself as a new plant marking the first critical step in postembryonic plant growth and development. Germination starts with the uptake of water (imbibition), followed by induction of transcription, translation, energy metabolism, and cell division processes. Although small RNAs have been implicated in many developmental processes, their role during seed germination stages and conditions remained elusive. Here we show that seed germination conditions, like imbibition and temperature, dynamically regulate the expression of many developmentally important miRNAs and their targets. We have identified 58 miRNAs belonging to 30 different families at different seed germination conditions. Amongst these, 15 miRNAs and their targets were significantly differentially expressed in Arabidopsis seeds in dry and 12 h, 24 h and 48 h of imbibition. Interestingly, differential expression of miR390, which targets trans-acting siRNA locus (TAS3) derived transcripts, resulted in alteration of tasiR-ARF mediated regulation of expression of target AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs (ARF2/3/4). Our results suggest that the dynamic expression of several miRNAs, their targets, and a crosstalk between miRNA and ta-siRNA pathways contribute to the regulation of seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Comparative transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of Arthrobacter sp. CGMCC 3584 responding to dissolved oxygen for cAMP production
Authors: Niu Huanqing , Wang Junzhi , Zhuang Wei , Liu Dong , Chen Yong , Zhu Chenjie , Ying Hanjie
Published: January 2018

Arthrobactersp. CGMCC 3584 is able to produce high yields of extracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which plays a vital role in the field of treatment of disease and animal food, during aerobic fermentation. However, the molecular basis of cAMP production inArthrobacterspecies is rarely explored. Here, for the first time, we report the comparative transcriptomic and proteomic study ofArthrobactercells to elucidate the higher productivity of cAMP under high oxygen supply. We finally obtained 14.1% and 19.3% of theArthrobactergenome genes which were up-regulated and down-regulated notably, respectively, with high oxygen supply, and identified 54 differently expressed proteins. Our results revealed that high oxygen supply had two major effects on metabolism: inhibition of glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and amino acid metabolism (histidine, branched-chain amino acids and glutamate metabolism); enhancement of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and purine metabolism. We also found that regulation of adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase was not significant under high oxygen supply, suggesting efficient cAMP export might be important in cAMP production. These findings may contribute to further understanding of capacities ofArthrobacterspecies and would be highly useful in genetic regulation for desirable production.
Biomolecular regulation, composition and nanoarchitecture of bone mineral
Authors: Poundarik Atharva A. , Boskey Adele , Gundberg Caren , Vashishth Deepak
Published: January 2018

Tough natural nanocomposites like bone, nacre and sea sponges contain within their hierarchy, a mineral (phosphate, silicate or carbonate) phase that interacts with an organic phase. In bone, the role of mineral ultrastructure (organization, morphology, composition) is crucial to the mechanical and biological properties of the tissue. Better understanding of mineral interaction with the organic matrix, in particular non-collagenous proteins, osteocalcin (OC) and osteopontin (OPN), can lead to better design of biomimetic materials. Using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) on single (OC−/− and OPN−/−) and double (OC-OPN−/−;−/−) genetic knockout mice bones, we demonstrate that both osteocalcin and osteopontin have specific roles in the biomolecular regulation of mineral in bone and together they are major determinants of the quality of bone mineral. Specifically, for the first time, we show that proteins osteocalcin and osteopontin regulate bone mineral crystal size and organization in a codependent manner, while they independently determine crystal shape. We found that OC is more dominant in the regulation of the physical properties of bone mineral, while OPN is more dominant in the regulation of the mineral composition.