bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why Do Mice Overeat High‐Fat Diets? How High‐Fat Diet Alters the Regulation of Daily Caloric Intake in Mice
Authors: Licholai Julia A. , Nguyen Katrina P. , Fobbs Wambura C. , Schuster Corbin J. , Ali Mohamed A. , Kravitz Alexxai V.
Published: April 2018

Objective

Ad libitum high‐fat diets (HFDs) spontaneously increase caloric intake in rodents, which correlates positively with weight gain. However, it remains unclear why rodents overeat HFDs. This paper investigated how changing the proportion of diet that came from HFDs might alter daily caloric intake in mice.

Methods

Mice were given 25%, 50%, or 90% of their daily caloric need from an HFD, along with ad libitum access to a low‐fat rodent chow diet. Food intake was measured daily to determine how these HFD supplements impacted total daily caloric intake. Follow‐up experiments addressed the timing of HFD feeding.

Results

HFD supplements did not alter total caloric intake or body weight. In a follow‐up experiment, mice consumed approximately 50% of their daily caloric need from an HFD in 30 minutes during the light cycle, a time when mice do not normally consume food.

Conclusions

An HFD did not disrupt regulation of total daily caloric intake, even when up to 90% of total calories came from the HFD. However, HFDs increased daily caloric intake when provided ad libitum and were readily consumed by mice outside of their normal feeding cycle. Ad libitum HFDs appear to induce overconsumption beyond the mechanisms that regulate daily caloric intake.
Mining for Microbial Gems: Integrating Proteomics in the Postgenomic Natural Product Discovery Pipeline
Authors: Du Chao , van Wezel Gilles P.
Published: April 2018

Natural products (NPs) are a major source of compounds for medical, agricultural, and biotechnological industries. Many of these compounds are of microbial origin, and, in particular, from Actinobacteria or filamentous fungi. To successfully identify novel compounds that correlate to a bioactivity of interest, or discover new enzymes with desired functions, systematic multiomics approaches have been developed over the years. Bioinformatics tools harness the rapidly expanding wealth of genome sequence information, revealing previously unsuspected biosynthetic diversity. Varying growth conditions or application of elicitors are applied to activate cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters, and metabolomics provide detailed insights into the NPs they specify. Combining these technologies with proteomics‐based approaches to profile the biosynthetic enzymes provides scientists with insights into the full biosynthetic potential of microorganisms. The proteomics approaches include enrichment strategies such as employing activity‐based probes designed by chemical biology, as well as unbiased (quantitative) proteomics methods. In this review, the opportunities and challenges in microbial NP research are discussed, and, in particular, the application of proteomics to link biosynthetic enzymes to the molecules they produce, and vice versa.
High‐performing random terpolymer‐based nonfullerene polymer solar cells fabricated using solvent additive‐free as‐cast blend films
Authors: Hoang Mai Ha , Park Gi Eun , Phan Dinh Long , Ngo Trinh Tung , Nguyen Tuyen Van , Park Su Hong , Cho Min Ju , Choi Dong Hoon
Published: April 2018

Two new random terpolymers containing 4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thiophen‐2‐yl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT) as a donating unit, methyl‐3‐thiophenecarboxylate (3MT) as a weak accepting unit, and the more electron‐deficient benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BTz) or 5,5′‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐4H,4′H‐1,1′‐bithieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,4′,6,6′(5H,5′H)‐tetraone (BiTPD) unit as a third monomer (respectively yielding 3MTB and 3MTT) were synthesized in order to achieve improved physical and optoelectronic properties relative to the 3MT‐Th copolymer bearing only BDT and 3MT. The UV–vis absorption spectra and optical bandgap energies of these terpolymers were broader and smaller than those of the 3MT‐Th copolymer. In thin films, the terpolymers displayed the face‐on polymer chain orientation, indicating that the BTz or BiTPD unit in the terpolymer backbones did not affect the molecular arrangement on the substrate. In comparison with 3MT‐Th‐based polymer solar cells (PSCs) as control devices, the PSCs employing blend films of these terpolymers as the donor and 2,2′‐[[6,6,12,12‐Tetrakis(4‐hexylphenyl)‐6,12‐dihydrodithieno[2,3‐d:2′,3′‐d′]‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene‐2,8‐diyl]bis[methylidyne(3‐oxo‐1H‐indene‐2,1(3H)‐diylidene)]]bis[propanedinitrile] (ITIC) as the acceptor exhibited higher power conversion efficiencies (>8.0%) for the same device configuration. In addition, the 3MTB‐ and 3MTT‐based PSC devices displayed excellent shelf‐life even after aging for over 1000 h. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1528–1535
Low‐pressure plasma treatment for direct amination of L605 CoCr alloy for the further covalent grafting of molecules
Authors: Diaz‐Rodriguez Sergio , Chevallier Pascale , Mantovani Diego
Published: April 2018

Low‐pressure plasma represents a versatile platform for material surface modifications. As regards metallic substrates, the deposition of polymeric coatings generally constitutes an added step prior to biomolecule grafting. An original multi‐step approach involving surface preparation, direct plasma‐amination, and biomolecule grafting was explored in the present study. Overall results, supported by XPS and ToF‐SIMS analyses, confirm the successful, and homogeneous grafting of peptide onto the metallic substrate. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to present a successful low‐pressure plasma amination procedure in metal. This innovative technique has the potential to easily graft biomolecules and thus creates opportunities for advances in the development of novel functional devices.
Low temperature removal of toluene over Ag/CeO2/Al2O3 nanocatalyst in an atmospheric plasma catalytic system
Authors: Zhu Bin , Yan Yan , Li Meng , Li Xiao‐Song , Liu Jing‐Lin , Zhu Yi‐Min
Published: April 2018

The efficient removal of toluene by plasma catalytic system (PCS) requires catalysts that can generate strong synergetic effect with discharge to oxidize toluene while promoting CO2 selectivity and suppressing the formation of harmful byproducts. We report that application of an Ag/CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst into PCS enables high conversion of toluene to CO2 and H2O with the low concentration of ozone and nitrogen oxides. The Ag nanoparticles dispersed on CeO2 surface transforms the filamentary discharge to a relatively uniform discharge with high‐efficiency, facilitates surface oxygen activation and organic intermediates oxidation, thus, enhances toluene removal efficiency. At 1800 J L−1, toluene conversion and CO2 selectivity reached maximum at 93% and 71%, respectively, whereas the removal process exhibited a good stability during a 5‐h test.
Growth mechanisms of sulfur‐rich plasma polymers: Binary gas mixtures versus single precursor
Authors: Kasparek Evelyne , Thiry Damien , Tavares Jason R. , Wertheimer Michael R. , Snyders Rony , Girard‐Lauriault Pierre‐Luc
Published: April 2018

Thiol (SH)‐terminated surfaces have gained interest over the past years due to their potential applications, especially in the biomedical field. In this work, SH‐terminated films have been prepared by “co‐polymerizing” gas mixtures of acetylene (C2H2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using low‐pressure r.f. plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition. R.f. power greatly influences the deposition rate, sulfur content, [S], and thiol concentration, [SH], of the films, as confirmed by XPS (both before and after chemical derivatization), FTIR, and mass spectrometry measurements. These data are compared with those obtained in a similar discharge by using a single molecule precursor, propanethiol. Among other differences, it is demonstrated that [SH] is higher when using binary gas mixtures compared to the single molecule precursor.
Interleukin‐6 induces VEGF secretion from prostate cancer cells in a manner independent of androgen receptor activation
Authors: Ishii Kenichiro , Sasaki Takeshi , Iguchi Kazuhiro , Kajiwara Shinya , Kato Manabu , Kanda Hideki , Hirokawa Yoshifumi , Arima Kiminobu , Mizokami Atsushi , Sugimura Yoshiki
Published: April 2018

Background

The reduced androgen‐sensitivity of prostate cancer (PCa) cells is an important clinical development because of its association with the cells’ progression to castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). During androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), stroma‐derived growth factors and cytokines can activate the androgen receptor (AR). For example, IL‐6 is a multifunctional cytokine that is involved in the malignancy of PCa cells through AR activation. In the present study, we used an androgen‐sensitive human PCa cell line (LNCaP) and its sublines to investigate the relationship between the responsiveness of PCa cells to IL‐6 treatment and the cellular AR signaling pathway.

Methods

The androgen‐low‐sensitive F10 and E9 cells were obtained from LNCaP cells by limiting dilution method in regular culture condition. In contrast, the androgen‐insensitive AIDL cells were established from LNCaP cells by continuous passaging in hormone‐depleted condition. Original carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) PCaSC‐8 and PCaSC‐9 cells were isolated from needle biopsy samples of PCa patients.

Results

In fibroblasts derived from PCa patients, IL‐6 secretion was generally higher than that observed with normal fibroblasts. In contrast, IL‐6 secretion was not detected in LNCaP and its sublines. The soluble IL‐6 receptor was detected in PCa cells but not in fibroblasts. IL‐6 treatment suppressed cell growth of LNCaP, F10, and E9 cells but not AIDL cells and it was accompanied with neuroendocrine‐like differentiation. Induction of PSA secretion was observed in IL‐6‐treated LNCaP and F10 cells. VEGF secretion was strongly induced in IL‐6‐treated LNCaP and AIDL cells. IL‐6‐induced VEGF secretion was significantly suppressed by a PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) and it was accompanied by inhibited phosphorylation of Akt.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that IL‐6 might induce VEGF secretion from PCa cells in a manner independent of AR activation. To prevent IL‐6‐induced VEGF secretion, inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway could be an important pharmacological goal regardless of ADT.
Radiation chemists look at damage in redox proteins induced by X‐rays
Authors: Wherland Scot , Pecht Israel
Published: April 2018

The three‐dimensional structure of proteins, especially as determined by X‐ray crystallography, is critical to the understanding of their function. However, the X‐ray exposure may lead to damage that must be recognized and understood to interpret the crystallographic results. This is especially relevant for proteins with transition metal ions that can be oxidized or reduced. The detailed study of proteins in aqueous solution by the technique of pulse radiolysis has provided a wealth of information on the production and fate of radicals that are the same as those produced by X‐ray exposure. The results reviewed here illustrate how the products of the interaction of radiation with water or with solutes added to the crystallization medium, and with proteins themselves, are formed, and about their fate. Of particular focus is how electrons are produced and transferred through the polypeptide matrix to redox centers such as metal ions or to specific amino acid residues, for example, disulfides, and how the hydroxyl radicals formed may be converted to reducing equivalents or scavenged.
Augmented reality for the surgeon: Systematic review
Authors: Yoon Jang W. , Chen Robert E. , Kim Esther J. , Akinduro Oluwaseun O. , Kerezoudis Panagiotis , Han Phillip K. , Si Phong , Freeman William D. , Diaz Roberto J. , Komotar Ricardo J. , Pirris Stephen M. , Brown Benjamin L. , Bydon Mohamad , Wang Michael Y. , Wharen Robert E. , Quinones-Hinojosa Alfredo
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Since the introduction of wearable head‐up displays, there has been much interest in the surgical community adapting this technology into routine surgical practice.

Methods

We used the keywords augmented reality OR wearable device OR head‐up display AND surgery using PubMed, EBSCO, IEEE and SCOPUS databases. After exclusions, 74 published articles that evaluated the utility of wearable head‐up displays in surgical settings were included in our review.

Results

Across all studies, the most common use of head‐up displays was in cases of live streaming from surgical microscopes, navigation, monitoring of vital signs, and display of preoperative images. The most commonly used head‐up display was Google Glass. Head‐up displays enhanced surgeons' operating experience; common disadvantages include limited battery life, display size and discomfort.

Conclusions

Due to ergonomic issues with dual‐screen devices, augmented reality devices with the capacity to overlay images onto the surgical field will be key features of next‐generation surgical head‐up displays.
The impact of climate change on the morphology of a tidal freshwater wetland affected by tides, discharge, and wind
Authors: Verschelling E. , van der Perk M. , Middelkoop H.
Published: April 2018

Tidal freshwater wetlands are threatened by climate change, especially by rising sea levels. Until now, research in these wetlands has focused mostly on determining historical and present‐day accretion rates without analysing the influence of climate change on future developments. We study a recently constructed freshwater wetland under influence of tides, wind, and riverine discharges and carry out a scenario analysis to evaluate the impact of climate change on morphodynamics. We use a numerical model that describes the hydrodynamics and morphology in the study area and includes the impact of vegetation and carry out transient scenario runs for the period 2015–2050 with gradually changing boundary conditions. We conclude that the simulated accretion rates are significantly lower than the rate of sea level rise, meaning that the wetland will gradually convert to open water. We also find that the morphological changes can largely be attributed to morphological stabilization of the constructed wetland and not to climate change. Wind plays an important role through resuspension and redistribution of fine sediment, and neglecting it would lead to a significant overestimation of accretion rates on the flats.
Random forests of interaction trees for estimating individualized treatment effects in randomized trials
Authors: Su Xiaogang , Peña Annette T. , Liu Lei , Levine Richard A.
Published: April 2018

Assessing heterogeneous treatment effects is a growing interest in advancing precision medicine. Individualized treatment effects (ITEs) play a critical role in such an endeavor. Concerning experimental data collected from randomized trials, we put forward a method, termed random forests of interaction trees (RFIT), for estimating ITE on the basis of interaction trees. To this end, we propose a smooth sigmoid surrogate method, as an alternative to greedy search, to speed up tree construction. The RFIT outperforms the “separate regression” approach in estimating ITE. Furthermore, standard errors for the estimated ITE via RFIT are obtained with the infinitesimal jackknife method. We assess and illustrate the use of RFIT via both simulation and the analysis of data from an acupuncture headache trial.
A sensitivity analysis for missing outcomes due to truncation by death under the matched‐pairs design
Authors: Imai Kosuke , Jiang Zhichao
Published: April 2018

The matched‐pairs design enables researchers to efficiently infer causal effects from randomized experiments. In this paper, we exploit the key feature of the matched‐pairs design and develop a sensitivity analysis for missing outcomes due to truncation by death, in which the outcomes of interest (e.g., quality of life measures) are not even well defined for some units (e.g., deceased patients). Our key idea is that if 2 nearly identical observations are paired prior to the randomization of the treatment, the missingness of one unit's outcome is informative about the potential missingness of the other unit's outcome under an alternative treatment condition. We consider the average treatment effect among always‐observed pairs (ATOP) whose units exhibit no missing outcome regardless of their treatment status. The naive estimator based on available pairs is unbiased for theATOPif 2 units of the same pair are identical in terms of their missingness patterns. The proposed sensitivity analysis characterizes how the bounds of theATOPwiden as the degree of the within‐pair similarity decreases. We further extend the methodology to the matched‐pairs design in observational studies. Our simulation studies show that informative bounds can be obtained under some scenarios when the proportion of missing data is not too large. The proposed methodology is also applied to the randomized evaluation of the Mexican universal health insurance program. An open‐source software package is available for implementing the proposed research.
Advancements in Copper Nanowires: Synthesis, Purification, Assemblies, Surface Modification, and Applications
Authors: Zhao Songfang , Han Fei , Li Jinhui , Meng Xiangying , Huang Wangping , Cao Duxia , Zhang Guoping , Sun Rong , Wong Ching‐Ping
Published: April 2018

Copper nanowires (CuNWs) are attracting a myriad of attention due to their preponderant electric conductivity, optoelectronic and mechanical properties, high electrocatalytic efficiency, and large abundance. Recently, great endeavors are undertaken to develop controllable and facile approaches to synthesize CuNWs with high dispersibility, oxidation resistance, and zero defects for future large‐scale nano‐enabled materials. Herein, this work provides a comprehensive review of current remarkable advancements in CuNWs. The Review starts with a thorough overview of recently developed synthetic strategies and growth mechanisms to achieve single‐crystalline CuNWs and fivefold twinned CuNWs by the reduction of Cu(I) and Cu(II) ions, respectively. Following is a discussion of CuNW purification and multidimensional assemblies comprising films, aerogels, and arrays. Next, several effective approaches to protect CuNWs from oxidation are highlighted. The emerging applications of CuNWs in diverse fields are then focused on, with particular emphasis on optoelectronics, energy storage/conversion, catalysis, wearable electronics, and thermal management, followed by a brief comment on the current challenges and future research directions. The central theme of the Review is to provide an intimate correlation among the synthesis, structure, properties, and applications of CuNWs.
2D Metal Chalcogenides Incorporated into Carbon and their Assembly for Energy Storage Applications
Authors: Deng Zongnan , Jiang Hao , Li Chunzhong
Published: April 2018

2D metal chalcogenides have become a popular focus in the energy storage field because of their unique properties caused by their single‐atom thicknesses. However, their high surface energy and van der Waals attraction easily cause serious stacking and restacking, leading to the generation of more inaccessible active sites with rapid capacity fading. The hybridization of 2D metal chalcogenides with highly conductive materials, particularly, incorporating ultrasmall and few‐layered metal chalcogenides into carbon frameworks, can not only maximize the exposure of active sites but also effectively avoid their stacking and aggregation during the electrochemical reaction process. Therefore, a satisfactory specific capacity will be achieved with a long cycle life. In this Concept, the representative progress on such intriguing nanohybrids and their applications in energy storage devices are mainly summarized. Finally, an outlook of the future development and challenges of such nanohybrids for achieving an excellent energy storage capability is also provided.
Solvent‐Controlled Synthesis of Highly Luminescent Carbon Dots with a Wide Color Gamut and Narrowed Emission Peak Widths
Authors: Ding Hui , Wei Ji‐Shi , Zhang Peng , Zhou Zi‐Yuan , Gao Qing‐Yu , Xiong Huan‐Ming
Published: April 2018

Carbon dots (CDs) have tremendous potential applications in bioimaging, biomedicine, and optoelectronics. By far, it is still difficult to produce photoluminescence (PL) tunable CDs with high quantum yield (QY) across the entire visible spectrum and narrow the emission peak widths of CDs close to those of typical quantum dots. In this work, a series of CDs with tunable emission from 443 to 745 nm, quantum yield within 13–54%, and narrowed full width at half maximum (FWHM) from 108 to 55 nm, are obtained by only adjusting the reaction solvents in a one‐pot solvothermal route. The distinct optical features of these CDs are based on their differences in the particle size, and the content of graphitic nitrogen and oxygen‐containing functional groups, which can be modulated by controlling the dehydration and carbonization processes during solvothermal reactions. Blue, green, yellow, red, and even pure white light emitting films (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE)= 0.33, 0.33, QY = 39%) are prepared by dispersing one or three kinds of CDs into polyvinyl alcohol with appropriate ratios. The near‐infrared emissive CDs are excellent fluorescent probes for both in vitro and in vivo bioimaging because of their high QY in water, long‐term stability, and low cytotoxicity.
A Novel Approach to Realize Si‐Based Porous Wire‐In‐Tube Nanostructures for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Sadeghipari Mehrnoosh , Mohajerzadeh Mohammad Ala , Hajmirzaheydarali Mohammadreza , Mashayekhi Alireza , Mohajerzadeh Shamsoddin
Published: April 2018

Hollow inorganic nanostructures have drawn great attention due to their fascinating features, such as large surface area, high loading capacity, and high permeability. The formation, characterization, and application of partially and entirely hollow structure by applying a Si‐based reactive ion deposition and etching method on silicon nanowire as a template are reported. This fabrication technique is extended to a stainless steel substrate to be used as the binder‐free anode for high capacity and high rate lithium‐ion batteries. The electrochemical analyses exhibit that in addition to the high initial discharge capacity of 4125 mAh g−1 at a rate of C/16, the best performing electrode shows discharge/charge capacity of as high as 3302.14/2832.1 mAh g−1, respectively, with an excellent charge capacity retention of 96.7% over 100 cycles at a rate density of 1 C. Even at a rate of 12 C, the as‐designed structure is still able to deliver an impressive 1553 mAh g−1, which probably is attributed to fast lithium diffusion in its hollow part and high porosity of Si and alumina layer. It is proved that the change in hollowness ratio significantly affects capacity retention and average coulombic efficiency of the lithium‐ion cells.
Peptide‐Based Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Wei Guoqing , Wang Yi , Huang Xuehui , Hou Huabo , Zhou Shaobing
Published: April 2018

Peptides, which are made up of amino acids, are an excellent candidate as a composition component of a nanocarrier for drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, bioavailability, and stability in vivo. Here, the progress in peptides as nanocarriers for applications in cancer therapy are summarized, including as a nanocarrier matrix for self‐assembled nanoparticles, as surface modification moieties of nanocarriers for targeting and/or penetrating function, and as enzyme‐responsive linkers of nanoparticles for triggering drug release. Peptide‐based nanocarriers should receive more attention, and they have great potential in biomedical applications.
Strategies to Overcome the Limitations of AIEgens in Biomedical Applications
Authors: Gu Bobo , Yong Ken‐Tye , Liu Bin
Published: April 2018

Motivated by the demand for high‐performance tools for biomedical applications, numerous new luminescent nanomaterials with advanced functionalities are synthesized in recent years. Conventional fluorophores generally suffer from the notorious aggregation‐caused quenching effect that deteriorates their practical performance. The recently emerged fluorogens with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics (AIEgen) have generated a new avenue for biomedical applications due to their unique optical properties, flexible designability, and multifunctional potential. However, the inherent characteristics of AIEgens, including short wavelength absorption, broad emission, and aggregation‐dependent brightness indirectly limit their practical performance in the biomedical field. Here, the recent development of AIEgens for biomedical applications is summarized and novel strategies to overcome their limitations are proposed. Furthermore, the strategies and guidelines for the rational design of AIEgens, preparation of water‐dispersible AIE nanoparticles, and selection of the excitation/emission methods, which enable AIEgens to be useful in a broader range of biomedical applications, are discussed.
Shaking table tests of RC frame structure across the earth fissure under earthquake
Authors: Xiong Zhongming , Chen Xuan , Zhang Chao , Huo Xiaopeng , Zhuge Yan
Published: April 2018

To investigate the behavior of a reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure across earth fissure under strong earthquake, a series of shaking table tests on a scaled model were designed and conducted. Three earthquake motion records were selected as input excitations, and the Jiangyou motion has a dramatically greater dynamic effect on the structure mainly due to its inherent rich low‐frequency component. The structural acceleration amplification factor gradually decreased as the peak ground acceleration of input motions increased, implying the progressive degradation of the structure stiffness. The results indicated that the earth fissure site has amplification effect on acceleration of the soil, and the displacement response of frame across the earth fissure was different to that of a typical RC frame structure. The ground floor was the most vulnerable story of the RC frame across the earth fissure.
Out of Nothing
Authors: Sgaravatti Daniele , Spolaore Giuseppe ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: April 2018

Graham Priest proposed an argument for the conclusion that ‘nothing’ occurs as a singular term and not as a quantifier in a sentence like (1) ‘The cosmos came into existence out of nothing’. Priest’s point is that, intuitively, (1) entails (C) ‘The cosmos came into existence at some time’, but this entailment relation is left unexplained if ‘nothing’ is treated as a quantifier. If Priest is right, the paradoxical notion of an object that is nothing plays a role in our very understanding of reality. In this note, we argue that Priest’s argument is unsound: the intuitive entailment relation between (1) and (C) does not offer convincing evidence that ‘nothing’ occurs as a term in (1). Moreover, we provide an explanation of why (1) is naturally taken to entail (C), which is both plausible and consistent with the standard, quantificational treatment of ‘nothing’.
Spatial trends in rainfall seasonality: a case study in Jharkhand, India
Authors: Sharma Shonam , Singh Prasoon Kumar
Published: April 2018

This study aims to analyse the seasonality of rainfall for Jharkhand State, India over the period of the last 102 years. Rainfall seasonality index and individual seasonality index values were calculated, and trend analysis was performed on yearly data for the individual seasonality index, using the Mann–Kendall test, the sequential Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope method (also known as the Theil–Sen estimator). The value of the mean individual seasonality index varied from 0.815378 to 0.977228, which indicates that rainfall in Jharkhand is markedly seasonal, with a long dry season. The results of the Mann–Kendall trend test revealed a significant decreasing trend in individual seasonality index over Deoghar, Dumka, Godda, Pakaur and Sahebganj; however, the magnitude of this trend was found to be close to negligible. This decreasing trend could have a pronounced effect on agricultural activities.
Making Tobacco Control Policy Work: Rules of the Game
Authors: Willemsen Marc C.
Published: April 2018

Tobacco policy is made by actors who operate in an institutional environment with specific characteristics (Scharpf, 1997), and differences in these characteristics can explain much of the variation in tobacco control between countries. Governments and parliaments, and their bureaucracies, have formal and informal “rules of the game.” Informal rules include conventions, unwritten procedures, and expectations. Formal rules are official and legal procedures. While the contextual factors discussed in Chap. 4 are relatively dynamic and amenable to change by tobacco control interest groups, the rules of the game that are the subject of the current chapter are more static. In terms of the Advocacy Coalition Framework, they are the constitutional structural factors (Breton, Richard, Gagnon, Jacques, & Bergeron, 2008; Sabatier, 2007) which determine how countries differ from each other—less about how countries change over time, although institutional factors and conditions can gradually change. Knowledge of these factors is not only key to understanding why tobacco policymaking is most of the time a tedious and slow process; it also helps to understand how tobacco interest groups may influence policymaking and why some groups are more successful at this than others.
The International Context: EU and WHO
Authors: Willemsen Marc C.
Published: April 2018

Since the 1960s, governments around the world have been developing policies to control tobacco. Countries have employed different combinations of measures (World Bank, 1999), taking national circumstances into account. For example, the United Kingdom attached importance to building a national infrastructure of smoking cessation support in combination with having the highest cigarette prices in Europe, while Australia invested in mass media campaigns and was at the forefront of pictorial health warnings and plain packaging, in addition to high tobacco taxes. In contrast, the United States combined strong smoking bans to protect non-smokers, with restrictions on the sale of tobacco to youth and a long history of litigation against the tobacco industry, but has relatively low cigarette taxes, modest health warnings on cigarette packs, and weak advertising restrictions (Kagan & Nelson, 2001). Despite such differences, there is an increasing convergence of strategies across countries (Studlar, 2006). There are two aspects to this. The first is the process of governments and tobacco control coalitions becoming inspired by countries that lead the way, facilitated by increased levels of corporation and coordination of tobacco control advocacy at the international level. The second is the emergence of “hard” international law to which national governments need to abide. This is facilitated by supranational legislation from the EU and WHO forcing countries to adopt similar policies. In Europe these processes add two extra layers of governance above the national and sub-national levels, and as a result tobacco control policymaking has become the outcome of a continuous negotiation among nested governments at several tiers, a process which has been described as multi-level governance (Asare, Cairney, & Studlar, 2009; Marks & Hooghe, 2003).
Two-loop integrals for CP-even heavy quarkonium production and decays: elliptic sectors
Authors: Chen Long-Bin , Jiang Jun , Qiao Cong-Feng
Published: April 2018

Abstract

By employing the differential equations, we compute analytically the elliptic sectors of two-loop master integrals appearing in the NNLO QCD corrections to CP-even\ heavy quarkonium exclusive production and decays, which turns out to be the last and toughest part in the relevant calculation. The integrals are found can be expressed as Goncharov polylogarithms and iterative integrals over elliptic functions. The master integrals may be applied to some other NNLO QCD calculations about heavy quarkonium exclusive production, like$$ {\gamma}^{\ast}\gamma \to Q\overline{Q} $$γ∗γ→QQ¯,$$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to \gamma +Q\overline{Q} $$e+e−→γ+QQ¯, and$$ H/{Z}^0\to \gamma +Q\overline{Q} $$H/Z0→γ+QQ¯, heavy quarkonium exclusive decays, and also the CP-even heavy quarkonium inclusive production and decays.
A smooth exit from eternal inflation?
Authors: Hawking S. W. , Hertog Thomas
Published: April 2018

Abstract

The usual theory of inflation breaks down in eternal inflation. We derive a dual description of eternal inflation in terms of a deformed Euclidean CFT located at the threshold of eternal inflation. The partition function gives the amplitude of different geometries of the threshold surface in the no-boundary state. Its local and global behavior in dual toy models shows that the amplitude is low for surfaces which are not nearly conformal to the round three-sphere and essentially zero for surfaces with negative curvature. Based on this we conjecture that the exit from eternal inflation does not produce an infinite fractal-like multiverse, but is finite and reasonably smooth.
The Effects of Exposure to Mephedrone During Adolescence on Brain Neurotransmission and Neurotoxicity in Adult Rats
Authors: Kamińska Katarzyna , Noworyta-Sokołowska Karolina , Górska Anna , Rzemieniec Joanna , Wnuk Agnieszka , Wojtas Adam , Kreiner Grzegorz , Kajta Małgorzata , Gołembiowska Krystyna
Published: April 2018

According to the European Drug Report (2016), the use of synthetic cathinones, such as mephedrone, among young people has rapidly increased in the last years. Studies in humans indicate that psychostimulant drug use in adolescence increases risk of drug abuse in adulthood. Mephedrone by its interaction with transporters for dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT) stimulates their release to the synaptic cleft. In animal studies, high repeated doses of mephedrone given to adolescent but not adult mice or rats induced toxic changes in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of mephedrone given in adolescence on brain neurotransmission and possible neuronal injury in adult rats. Adolescent male rats were given mephedrone (5 mg/kg) for 8 days. In vivo microdialysis in adult rats showed an increase in dopamine (DA), 5-HT, and glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex but not in the striatum in response to challenge dose in animals pretreated with mephedrone in adolescence. The 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid contents decreased in the striatum and nucleus accumbens while DA turnover rates were decreased in the striatum and nucleus accumbens. The oxidative damage of DNA assessed with the alkaline comet assay was found in the cortex of adult rats. Therefore, the administration of repeated low doses of mephedrone during adolescence does not seem to induce injury to 5-HT and DA neurons. The oxidative stress seems to be responsible for possible damage of cortical cell bodies which causes maladaptive changes in serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons.
A prospective study of efficacy and safety of rubber band ligation in the treatment of Grade II and III hemorrhoids – a western Indian experience
Authors: Nikam Vinayak , Deshpande Aparna , Chandorkar Iti , Sahoo Siddharth
Published: April 2018

Background Hemorrhoids are one of the most frequent diseases of the anal region with high prevalence involving all age groups. Multiple treatment options exist with none being perfect. Rubber band ligation of hemorrhoids is a non-operative treatment which can be performed on outpatient basis.

Objective The study was undertaken to determine efficacy of banding in treatment of Grade II and III hemorrhoids and to follow-up patients treated by banding to evaluate for symptomatic relief, recurrence and complications.

Study design A prospective, interventional study with clearance from the institutional ethics committee was undertaken over the period of 2 years in a tertiary referral center with a sample size of 60.

Result Out of 60 patients, 41 patients (68.30%) had Grade II and 19 patients (31.7%) had Grade III hemorrhoids. At first follow up, success rate for Grade II hemorrhoids was 85% (35/41) as compared to 21% (4/19) in Grade III. The unsuccessful 20 patients were re-banded, however only 2 of them responded to procedure. At the end of 6 weeks, 36 patients with Grade II hemorrhoids (88%) were cured. Failure rate was higher for Grade III hemorrhoids (68.42%, n = 13). Success rate was 86.6% for single hemorrhoid. There were no major complications. Anemia reverted significantly with successful band ligation.

Conclusion Rubber band ligation is a simple, safe and effective method for treating symptomatic second and third degree hemorrhoids as an outpatient procedure. It gives better results for Grade II and single hemorrhoids. Recurrence rate after successful band ligation is low.
Effect of blood purification on serum miR‐126 and VEGF levels in the process of atherosclerosis in uremic patients under maintenance hemodialysis
Authors: Zhao Dong , Shao Hong
Published: April 2018

This study aims to study the influence of different blood purification approaches on the expression of miR‐126 and VEGF serum levels in the development of atherosclerosis in uremic patients under maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). A total of 207 MHD patients with uremia were divided into HD (hemodialysis, n = 60), HDF (hemodiafiltration, n = 72), and HD + HP (hemodialysis + hemoperfusion, n = 75) groups based on different purification approaches. Eighty individuals who underwent physical examinations during the same period constituted the healthy controls. The serum levels of miR‐126 and VEGF were examined by qRT‐PCR and ELISA both before and after treatment, and the intima media thickness (IMT) value and plaque area were evaluated by color Doppler ultrasound. The serum miR‐126 level was down‐regulated in MHD patients compared with healthy controls, and this was negatively linked to VEGF. The post‐treatment expression level of serum miR‐126 in the HDF and HD + HP groups was remarkably increased, but VEGF was decreased in MHD patients, and especially significantly in the HDF group. In addition, IMT and plaque area were obviously improved in the HD group after treatment. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation of miR‐126 with IMT and plaque area, but a positive association between VEGF and IMT and plaque area. miR‐126 and VEGF are expected to become a valuable biomarker for monitoring the progression of atherosclerosis in uremic patients undergoing MHD.
Europe salutes metal-based AM
Authors: Brookes Kenneth J.A.
Published: April 2018

At its 2017 Annual Congress and Exhibition in Milan, Italy, the EPMA’s Additive Manufacturing Sectoral Group celebrated the fast-growing success of the new industry by a well-attended Open Meeting.
Money, Mobile Money and Rituals in Western Kenya: The Contingency Fund and the Thirteenth Cow
Authors: Kusimba Sibel
Published: April 2018

This article, based on fieldwork in Western Kenya from 2012 to 2016, describes how life cycle rituals collect and distribute different forms of money, including land, property, personhood, animals, cash, and digital moneys. It specifically examines a ritual coming of age for adolescent boys. By organizing multiple forms of money relative to the phases of a human life, the past, and the future, these rituals serve to manage and transfer wealth across generations and to give these transfers social and moral dimensions. The study provokes a critique of financial initiatives in the Global South that often assume that the financial goals of the poor are short-term.
Cost-Benefit Analysis and European Union Cohesion Policy: Economic Versus Financial Returns in Investment Project Appraisal
Authors: Florio Massimo , Morretta Valentina , Willak Witold
Published: April 2018

This paper investigates the role of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in the context of the European Union (EU) Cohesion Policy. After presenting the EU policy framework and the CBA guidelines adopted by the European Commission, we perform an empirical analysis drawing from a dataset of around 1000 major project applications, submitted during the period 2007–2013 by 22 European countries, and representing almost €180 billion of investment. A distinctive feature of the current CBA approach adopted by the European Commission is that applications for funding must provide a forecast of both the project’s financial rate of return (FRR) and economic rate of return (ERR). While the former represents the financial profitability of the project from a private investors’ perspective, the latter reveals its socio-economic benefits for the whole society. The difference between ERR and FRR mainly depends on the use of shadow prices, the inclusion of externalities and other nonmarket effects in the estimation of ERR, whilst the FRR is based on market prices. We find that, on average, the FRR is slightly negative ($-2.9$%) and the ERR is positive (16.2%). ERR and FRR are positively correlated on average with differences across sectors. We discuss these findings and suggest further research needs.
‘Good Muslim women’ at work: An Islamic and postcolonial perspective on ethnic privilege
Authors: Ali Faiza , Syed Jawad
Published: April 2018

Within sparse studies available on ethnic privilege at work, the emphasis is dominantly on ethnic privileges available to white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, heterosexual men and to a lesser extent white women. This paper presents and develops an Islamic and postcolonial perspective on ethnic privilege, which is unique not only due to contextual and cultural differences but also due to its postcolonial nature and composition. By postcolonial, the paper refers to cultural legacies of Arab colonialism and ideology in South Asia and elsewhere. Drawing on a qualitative study of Muslim female employees in Pakistan, the paper shows that religio-ethnic privilege represents postcolonial influences of a foreign (Arab-Salafi, ultra-orthodox Islamist) culture on a (non-Arab Muslim) society, and as such does not represent ethnic norms of a local mainstream society. The paper investigates the case of religio-ethnic privilege and female employment in Pakistan and examines how a foreign-influenced stereotype of female modesty is used to benchmark and preferentially treat ‘good Muslim women.’ The analysis shows that an Islamic and postcolonial lens may be needed to understand the nature and implications of religio-ethnic privilege at work in Muslim majority countries and societies.
Cooperation, Conflict, and the Costs of Anarchy
Authors: Fearon James D.
Published: April 2018

I consider a model in which two states choose how much to arm and whether to attack in successive periods. Arms are useful not only for deterrence or taking territory, but also because they influence the resolution of a set of disputed issues. States can cooperate on the issues by limiting military competition, but only as far as an endogenous “war constraint” allows. Factors determining the tightness of the war constraint imply hypotheses about the international determinants of military effort and thus the costs of anarchy. The strategic logic differs from standard security-dilemma arguments, in which the costs of anarchy are associated with conflict between status quo states that are uncertain about others' territorial revisionism. Here, inefficiency arises because arming to deter lowers a state's value for living with the status quo, which creates a security externality and a feedback loop. The model both synthesizes and revises a range of theoretical arguments about the determinants of interstate cooperation and conflict.
Recruiting the CEO from the Board: Determinants and Consequences
Authors: Hoitash Udi , Mkrtchyan Anahit
Published: April 2018

We investigate an increasingly prevalent CEO succession strategy: recruiting CEOs from the board of directors (director–CEOs). Director–CEOs might be hired in a planned succession because they combine outsiders’ new perspectives with insiders’ firm-specific knowledge. Alternatively, directors may be recruited when the board is unprepared for a leadership change. We find that unplanned successions, in which director–CEOs are appointed as a “quick-fix” solution, result in a negative market reaction, deterioration in performance, and ill-fitting candidates with shorter tenures. Conversely, firms recruiting director–CEOs in planned successions perform similarly to other firms. We find no evidence that poor firm quality drives these results.
Finite Larmor radius effects on weak turbulence transport
Authors: Kryukov N. , Martinell J. J. , del-Castillo-Negrete D.
Published: April 2018

Transport of test particles in two-dimensional weak turbulence with waves propagating along the poloidal direction is studied using a reduced model. Finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects are included by gyroaveraging over one particle orbit. For low wave amplitudes the motion is mostly regular with particles trapped in the potential wells. As the amplitude increases the trajectories become chaotic and the Larmor radius modifies the orbits. For a thermal distribution of Finite Larmor radii the particle distribution function (PDF) is Gaussian for small $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{th}$ (thermal gyroradius) but becomes non-Gaussian for large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{th}$. However, the time scaling of transport is diffusive, as characterized by a linear dependence of the variance of the PDF with time. An explanation for this behaviour is presented that provides an expression for an effective diffusion coefficient and reproduces the numerical results for large wave amplitudes which implies generalized chaos. When a shear flow is added in the direction of wave propagation, a modified model is obtained that produces free-streaming particle trajectories in addition to trapped ones; these contribute to ballistic transport for low wave amplitude but produce super-ballistic transport in the chaotic regime. As in the previous case, the PDF is Gaussian for low $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{th}$ becoming non-Gaussian as it increases. The perpendicular transport presents the same behaviour as in the case with no flow but the diffusion is faster in the presence of the flow.
Generating the evidence for risk reduction: a contribution to the future of food-based dietary guidelines
Authors: Schwingshackl Lukas , Schlesinger Sabrina , Devleesschauwer Brecht , Hoffmann Georg , Bechthold Angela , Schwedhelm Carolina , Iqbal Khalid , Knüppel Sven , Boeing Heiner
Published: April 2018

A major advantage of analyses on the food group level is that the results are better interpretable compared with nutrients or complex dietary patterns. Such results are also easier to transfer into recommendations on primary prevention of non-communicable diseases. As a consequence, food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) are now the preferred approach to guide the population regarding their dietary habits. However, such guidelines should be based on a high grade of evidence as requested in many other areas of public health practice. The most straightforward approach to generate evidence is meta-analysing published data based on a careful definition of the research question. Explicit definitions of study questions should include participants, interventions/exposure, comparisons, outcomes and study design. Such type of meta-analyses should not only focus on categorical comparisons, but also on linear and non-linear dose–response associations. Risk of bias of the individual studies of the meta-analysis should be assessed, rated and the overall credibility of the results scored (e.g. using NutriGrade). Tools such as a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews or ROBIS are available to evaluate the methodological quality/risk of bias of meta-analyses. To further evaluate the complete picture of evidence, we propose conducting network meta-analyses (NMA) of intervention trials, mostly on intermediate disease markers. To rank food groups according to their impact, disability-adjusted life years can be used for the various clinical outcomes and the overall results can be compared across the food groups. For future FBDG, we recommend to implement evidence from pairwise and NMA and to quantify the health impact of diet–disease relationships.