bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical and Mental Health–Related Quality of Life Changes Among Insurer Subgroups Following Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Takemoto Erin , Wolfe Bruce M. , Nagel Corey L. , Boone‐Heinonen Janne
Published: January 2020

Objective

This study sought to determine improvements in mental and physical health–related quality of life (HRQOL) following bariatric surgery in Medicaid and commercially insured patients.

Methods

Using data from the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery, an observational cohort study of adults undergoing bariatric surgery (2006‐2009), changes in Short Form 36 mental component summary (MCS) and physical component summary (PCS) scores were examined in 1,529 patients who underwent Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable band, or sleeve gastrectomy and were followed for 5 years. Piecewise linear mixed‐effects models estimated MCS and PCS scores as a function of insurance group (Medicaid, N = 177; commercial, N = 1,352) from 0 to 1 year and from 1 to 5 years after surgery, with interactions between insurance group and surgery type.

Results

Patients with Medicaid had lower PCS and MCS scores at baseline. At 1 year after surgery, patients with Medicaid and commercial insurance experienced similar improvement in PCS scores (commercial‐Medicaid difference in PCS change [95% CI]: Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass, 1.5 [−0.2, 3.3]; laparoscopic adjustable band, 1.9 [−2.2, 6.0]; sleeve gastrectomy, 6.4 [0.0, 12.8]). One‐year MCS score improvement was minimal and similar between insurance groups. In years 1 to 5, PCS and MCS scores were stable in all groups.

Conclusions

Both insurance groups experienced improvements in physical HRQOL and minimal changes in mental HRQOL.
Synthesis of polysiloxanes containing trifluoroethylene aryl ether groups: The effect of promoters
Authors: Yuan Yan , Diao Shen , Zhao Caide , Wang Mingying , Wang Xue , Wang Quanjie
Published: January 2020

Polysiloxanes with high molecular weight (Mn > 100 000, Mw/Mn < 2.2) containing various quantity of trifluoroethylene aryl ether groups were prepared by anion ring opening polymerization (AROP) in the presence of promoters including N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and N‐methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). The structures of monomers and polymers were characterized by FTIR and NMR. It was found that the addition of promoter could significantly increase the polymerization rate, decrease the polymerization temperature, and increase the molecular weight of the polymer. When DMF as the promoter, the optimal conditions for polymerization were as follows: The polymerization temperature is 100°C, the amount of catalyst is 2.0%, and the molar ratio of promoter to catalyst is 160:1. The optimal conditions for polymerization using NMP as the promoter were as follows: The polymerization temperature is 75°C, the amount of catalyst is 2.0%, and the molar ratio of promoter to catalyst is 70:1, which indicated that NMP is more effective on AROP than DMF. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the polymer has good heat temperature resistance. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the introduction of NMP in bulk polymerization could improve the randomness of polymer structure, which leads to the disappearance of crystal peak and improve the low temperature resistance of polymer.
Capacities of Z‐pinning in improving the bending performance of composite T‐joints
Authors: Li Mengjia , Chen Puhui , Li Xiping , Zheng Jiajia , Dong Weiping
Published: January 2020

The capacities of Z‐pinning in improving the bending performance of composite T‐joints were examined experimentally and numerically. It was found that Z‐pinning was not effective in enhancing the maximum bending load capacities of the T‐joints. Delamination at the interfaces of flange/filler, flange/flange, flange/skin, in the arc‐flange, as well as the fracture of the upper corner of the filler was observed. Among those failure patterns, the notorious delamination formed in the arc‐flange assumed the main responsibility of the disability of Z‐pinning in enhancing the maximum bending load capacity. Despite this, Z‐pinning was found to be highly effective in improving the residual plateau load‐carrying capacities of the T‐joints and the maximum bending displacement could also be dramatically increased, making the T‐joint maintain considerable bending load capacity under large deformation and preventing the T‐joint from catastrophe failure once the maximum bending load was attained.
Influence of Hybrid Cellulose/Bentonite Fillers on Structure, Ambient, and Low Temperature Tensile Properties of Thermoplastic Starch Composites
Authors: Osman Azlin Fazlina , Ashafee Ahmed Moh. T.L. , Adnan Sinar Arzuria , Alakrach Abdulkader
Published: January 2020

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) composites incorporating bentonite/cellulose (Bent/Cellulose) hybrid fillers in different ratios were prepared by film casting. Ultra‐sonication was done to promote good dispersion of filler in the host TPS and enhance the filler‐matrix interactions. Ultra‐sonicated fillers resulted in superior improvement in the tensile properties when the samples preconditioned at both ambient and 2°C. Upon preconditioning at 2°C, the TPS composite containing the ultra‐sonicated hybrid bent/cellulose in 80:20 ratio displayed the greatest tensile properties achievement among all the tested materials. These could be due to the effect of low temperature interactions between the starch, plasticizers, and the hybrid fillers. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis proved the changes in the crystallinity and dynamic characteristic of the TPS molecular chains which benefit in enhancing the biopolymer elongation at break and toughness, even when stored at refrigerated condition. In summary, the TPS/bent/cellulose composite has potential to be further developed for refrigerated food packaging application. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:810–822, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers
Form‐Stabilized Polyethylene Glycol/Palygorskite Composite Phase Change Material: Thermal Energy Storage Properties, Cycling Stability, and Thermal Durability
Authors: Sarı Ahmet , Ouikhalfan Mohammed , Chehouani Hassan , Hekimoğlu Gökhan , Bicer Alper , Al‐Ahmed Amir , Al‐Sulaiman Fahad A. , Tyagi Vineet Veer
Published: January 2020

In this work, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material (PCM) was incorporated with palygorskite (Pal) clay to develop a novel form‐stable composite PCM (F‐SCPCM). The Pal/PEG(40 wt%) composite was defined as F‐SCPCM and characterized using SEM/EDS, FT‐IR, XRD, DSC, and TGA techniques. The DSC results revealed that the F‐SCPCM has a melting temperature of 32.5°C and latent heat capacity of 64.3 J/g for thermal energy storage (TES) applications. Thermal cycling test showed that the F‐SCPCM had good cycling thermal/chemical stability after 500 cycles. The TGA data proved that that both cycled and non‐cycled F‐SCPCMs had considerable high thermal durability. Consequently, the created F‐SCPCM could be considered as an additive material for production of green construction components with TES capability. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:909–916, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers
Genetic cancer risk assessment: A screenshot of the psychosocial profile of women at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome
Authors: Campacci Natalia , de Campos Reis Galvão Henrique , Garcia Lucas F. , Ribeiro Paula C. , Grasel Rebeca S. , Goldim José R. , Ashton‐Prolla Patrícia , Palmero Edenir I.
Published: January 2020

Objective

There is a lack of information describing Brazilian women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) who undergo genetic cancer risk assessment (GCRA). This study aims to characterize the psychosocial profile of women at risk for HBOC at their first GCRA to obtain an overview of their families’ profiles and the challenges of the oncogenetics setting.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study in which interviews were conducted with 83 cancer‐affected women at their first GRCA appointment after the pedigree draw. Tools to evaluate psychological outcomes were applied. The pedigree genogram and ecomap were constructed and analyzed with content analysis using the “life course perspective” theory.

Results

Individuals perceived their breast/ovarian cancer risk to be equal to that of the general population, although they were highly concerned about developing cancer. No evidence of anxiety or depressive symptoms was identified. Participants used the coping strategy of searching for religiosity. The genograms and ecomaps resulted in five major themes: support and social support; attitudes, feelings and emotions; cancer causes; communication; and relationships with relatives. Individuals between 20‐29 years of age and those with no family history of cancer tended not to communicate with relatives, which may indicate future problems in the GCRA process regarding genetic testing.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that knowing the families who undergo the GCRA process can help professionals provide more individualized and thorough attention during GCRA and genetic testing, which results in better follow‐up and prevention strategies.
Index Formulae for Line Bundle Cohomology on Complex Surfaces
Authors: Brodie Callum R. , Constantin Andrei , Deen Rehan , Lukas Andre
Published: January 2020

We conjecture and prove closed‐form index expressions for the cohomology dimensions of line bundles on del Pezzo and Hirzebruch surfaces. Further, for all compact toric surfaces we provide a simple algorithm which allows expression of any line bundle cohomology in terms of an index. These formulae follow from general theorems we prove for a wider class of surfaces. In particular, we construct a map that takes any effective line bundle to a nef line bundle while preserving the zeroth cohomology dimension. For complex surfaces, these results explain the appearance of piecewise polynomial equations for cohomology and they are a first step towards understanding similar formulae recently obtained for Calabi‐Yau three‐folds.
Rosmarinic acid reverses non‐small cell lung cancer cisplatin resistance by activating the MAPK signaling pathway
Authors: Liao Xiao‐Zhong , Gao Ying , Sun Ling‐Ling , Liu Jia‐Hui , Chen Han‐Rui , Yu Ling , Chen Zhuang‐Zhong , Chen Wen‐Hui , Lin Li‐Zhu
Published: January 2020

Cisplatin (DDP) is one of the first‐line chemotherapeutic agents for non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, repeated use of cisplatin in clinical practice often induces chemoresistance. The aims of this study were to investigate whether rosmarinic acid (RA) could reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) in NSCLC and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Our data demonstrated that RA significantly inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and cell colony formation in a dose‐dependent manner, induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and increased the sensitivity of cell lines resistant to DDP. Mechanistically, RA inhibited NSCLC cell growth, arrested cell cycle, and induced apoptosis by activating MAPK and inhibiting the expression of P‐gp and MDR1, which correspondingly enhanced p21 and p53 expression. We observed that the growth of xenograft tumors derived from NSCLC cell lines in nude mice was significantly inhibited by combination therapy. We demonstrate that RA is a potentially effective MDR reversal agent for NSCLC, based on downregulation of MDR1 mRNA expression and P‐gp. Together, these results emphasize the putative role of RA as a resistance reversal agent in NSCLC.
Almost fault‐tolerant tracking
Authors: Stefanovski Jovan D.
Published: January 2020

A new formulation of the problem of almost fault‐tolerant perfect tracking in presence of disturbances is presented, and necessary and sufficient existence conditions are found, as well as a controller, which consists of a feedback block and two feedforward blocks. The feedback block is aimed for almost disturbance and fault decoupling, and the feedforward blocks are aimed for almost perfect tracking. A two‐step control design procedure such that the feedback block is designed independently of the feedforward blocks is presented. In order to simplify the necessary and sufficient existence conditions, as well as to present a physical interpretation of the existence conditions, the dimension of disturbance and fault vectors is reduced. In order to find a feedback controller, the physical interpretation of the existence conditions is used so that the four‐block‐type problem is transformed to a two‐block‐type problem. Examples are given, which illustrate that the controller of the article is practically realizable.
Discrete‐time sector based hands‐off control for nonlinear system
Authors: Sachan Ankit , Kamal Shyam , Olaru Sorin , Singh Devender , Xiong Xiaogang
Published: January 2020

This article presents a hands‐off control design for discrete‐time nonlinear system with a special type of nonlinear sector termed as “discrete‐time sector.” The design method to define the boundary of a discrete‐time sector is done with control‐Lyapunov function. The generalization of nonlinear system is viewed in the perspective of a comparison function. By means of a proposed sector, a switching control is designed such that no control action is experienced inside the sector thus, saving unnecessary control efforts. However, to study the robustness for discrete‐time system, a hands‐off control is modified to ensure the monotonic decrease in the energy of the system. Finally, the proposed approach is verified with the simulation results.
Influence of habitat heterogeneity and bed surface complexity on benthic invertebrate diversity in a gravel‐bed river
Authors: Béjar María , Gibbins Chris , Vericat Damià , Batalla Ramon J.
Published: January 2020

Maintaining or restoring physical habitat diversity is a central tenet of sustainable river management, yet a link between habitat and ecological diversity in fluvial systems has long remained equivocal. The lack of consistent evidence partly reflects the problems of characterizing habitat in ways that are ecologically meaningful. This paper assesses the influence of habitat heterogeneity and complexity on macroinvertebrate assemblages in a mountain gravel‐bed river. With the use of 0.1‐m resolution data obtained from an acoustic Doppler current profiler, heterogeneity and complexity in hydraulic conditions and bed topography were characterized using 13 metrics applied to 30 areas, each 1 m2, with an invertebrate sample collected from each area. Turnover of invertebrate taxa (i.e., β‐diversity) between sampled areas was rather limited, but observed differences in diversity were related significantly to several metrics of habitat heterogeneity. Invertebrate abundance was related to habitat diversity, patch size coefficient of variation, and patch size, whereas the Shannon diversity was related to the number of patches and patch size. None of the habitat complexity metrics accounted for a significant amount of observed variation in invertebrate communities between sampled areas. The paper demonstrates that high‐resolution data can help reveal relationships between habitat and benthic invertebrate diversity.
Agroforestry, grass, biofuel crop, and row‐crop management effects on soil water dynamics for claypan landscapes
Authors: Alagele Salah M. , Anderson Stephen H. , Udawatta Ranjith P.
Published: January 2020

Soil water use and water storage vary by vegetative management practices, and these practices affect land productivity and hydrologic processes. This study investigated the effects of agroforestry buffers (AB), grass buffers (GB), and biofuel crops (BC), relative to row crops (RC) on soil water use for a claypan soil in northern Missouri, USA. The experiment located at the Greenley Memorial Research Center included RC, AB, GB, and BC established in 1991, 1997, 1997, and 2012, respectively. Soil water reflectometer sensors installed at 5‐, 10‐, 20‐, and 40‐cm depths monitored soil water from April to November in 2017 and 2018. Results showed significant differences in weekly volumetric water content (VWC) among treatments for all four soil depths in 2017 and 2018. Treatments of AB, GB, and BC had lower VWC (16, 37, and 18% on 9 June), (31, 35, and 20% on 18 August), and (43, 49, and 35% on 29 September) in 2017 and (46, 70, and 19% on 24 August) and (31, 34, and 17% on 5 October) in 2018, respectively, in the pre‐recharge periods for the 5‐cm depth compared with the RC. In the post‐recharge period, equal or occasionally slightly higher soil water occurred in the buffer and biofuel treatments compared to the RC. During recharge, larger increases in soil water due to better infiltration were observed in the perennial vegetative practices relative to RC. The results showed that these practices could significantly influence soil water use and storage compared to RC management, especially for eroded claypan landscapes.
Historicizing entrepreneurial networks
Authors: Hollow Matthew
Published: January 2020

Research summary

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the role of context in different entrepreneurial processes. This article builds on this line of research by deploying a microhistorical‐informed approach to contextualize and make sense of the ways in which the correspondence network of the nineteenth‐century British entrepreneur, Isaac Holden, changed over time. In the process, it contributes to our understanding of entrepreneurial networks by illustrating: (a) how networking activities take place through specific communication platforms with their own socio‐technical qualities; (b) how entrepreneurs have the capacity to actively shape and co‐create the context within which their networking activity takes place; and (c) how entrepreneurial networking activity can take place in conjunction with—or as a result of—networking activity in other social movements.

Managerial Abstract

For entrepreneurs, having an effective network of trusted contacts can be the difference between success and failure. But what happens to these relationships when (or if) the entrepreneur achieves commercial success? Do they change? This article advances our understanding in this respect by providing an in‐depth analysis of how, and why, the personal network of Isaac Holden—a British wool manufacturing entrepreneur from the Victorian era—changed over time. In the process, it provides interesting insights into how political, social, cultural, and technological factors have the capacity to shape the way that entrepreneurial networks change and evolve over time.
Bayesian leveraging of historical control data for a clinical trial with time‐to‐event endpoint
Authors: Roychoudhury Satrajit , Neuenschwander Beat
Published: January 2020

The recent 21st Century Cures Act propagates innovations to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of 21st century cures. It includes the broader application of Bayesian statistics and the use of evidence from clinical expertise. An example of the latter is the use of trial‐external (or historical) data, which promises more efficient or ethical trial designs. We propose a Bayesian meta‐analytic approach to leverage historical data for time‐to‐event endpoints, which are common in oncology and cardiovascular diseases. The approach is based on a robust hierarchical model for piecewise exponential data. It allows for various degrees of between trial‐heterogeneity and for leveraging individual as well as aggregate data. An ovarian carcinoma trial and a non‐small cell cancer trial illustrate methodological and practical aspects of leveraging historical data for the analysis and design of time‐to‐event trials.
Jatropha Oil Cake Based Activated Carbon for Symmetric Supercapacitor Application: A Comparative Study on Conventional and Hydrothermal Carbonization Processes
Authors: Siva Sankari M. , Vivekanandhan S.
Published: January 2020

Jatropha oilcake (JOC), a major agro industrial co‐product was effectively converted into activated carbons employing KOH mediated chemical process for supercapacitor applications. The activated carbons were synthesized by employing conventional (CC) as well as hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) processes and investigated their impact on their physicochemical properties. The graphitization degree of the pristine and activated biocarbons was investigated through XRD and RAMAN analysis. BET surface area analysis showed the enhanced specific surface area of the pristine carbons from 71.5 (CC) and 48.1 (HTC) m2/g into 678.1 (CC) and 746.7 m2/g (HTC) through KOH activation. The synthesized activated biocarbon materials were explored as the electrode material for supercapacitors. The electrochemical analysis of the fabricated symmetric supercapacitor showed the specific capacitance of 145.76 F/g and 174.78 F/g at 1 A/g for the activated biocarbons obtained respectively through conventional and hydrothermal carbonization processes. Also, they showed considerable energy density of 5.28 Whkg−1 (CC) and 6.49 Whkg−1 (HTC) at a power density of 248.6 and 265.09 W kg−1. Among the two different approaches, the hydrothermal process showed great promise for the production of renewable biomass‐derived activated biocarbon materials for supercapacitor applications.
The Effects of Concentration and Particle Size of TiO2 on the Dielectric Properties of Polyolefin‐Based Microwave Substrates
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Wu Bo , Mao Xin , Deng Ting , Li Rong , Xu Yi , Tang Xianzhong
Published: January 2020

Fibre‐reinforced polybutadiene/ styrene‐butadiene‐styrene triblock copolymer/ ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer/titanium dioxide (PB/SBS/EPDM/TiO2) composite laminates with superior dielectric properties were fabricated by impregnation and hot pressing. The effects of concentration and particle size of rutile spherical TiO2 on the microwave dielectric properties of the PB/SBS/EPDM/TiO2 composite laminates were investigated at microwave frequency region. Additionally, the mechanical, thermal, and water absorption properties of the laminates were also evaluated. Results indicated that the dielectric properties were obviously improved with the increase of concentration or the decrease of particle size. The laminate filled with 230 nm TiO2 at a filler loading of 70 wt% possessed high dielectric constant (7.03, 10 GHz), low dielectric loss (0.0042, 10 GHz), outstanding mechanical, thermal properties, and low water absorption. Enhanced dielectric properties and other prominent properties enable the fibre‐reinforced polyolefin‐based composite laminates to be a potential candidate for microwave substrate applications.
Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Triptorelin Analogs Containing Tetrazole Moiety
Authors: Sohbati Hamidreza , Alipour Mohsen , Hosseinkhani Saman , Balalaie Saeed , Hamdan Fatima
Published: January 2020

The design and synthesis of novel bioisosteric analogues of triptorelin acetate containing tetrazole moiety at C‐ or N‐terminus of the peptides is described. Tetrazole acetic acid was synthesized through the reaction of an alkyl cyanoacetate and sodium azide, after that, it was coupled to the N‐terminus of triptorelin instead of pyroglutamic acid. In another approach, tetrazole acetohydrazide was prepared and conjugated to the C‐terminus of triptorelin instead of the amide bond. The synthesized peptides containing tetrazole moiety at the C‐ or N‐terminus of the peptide sequence are peptidomimetics of triptorelin acetate. The docking results of the designed derivatives showed the same interaction of triptorelin with the receptor but with a higher score.The peptide that has tetrazole moiety in its C‐terminus, restricted the testosterone level during four weeks of in vivo study and led to keep testosterone at a moderate level during the first week compared to control.
Chemical Synthesis of Six‐Atom Thioether Bridged Diaminodiacid for Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Peptide Disulfide Bond Mimics
Authors: Chen Junyou , Sun Shuaishuai , Zhao Rui , Xi Chen‐Peng , Qiu Wenjie , Wang Ning , Wang Ya , Bierer Donald , Shi Jing , Li Yi‐Ming
Published: January 2020

Solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) strategy based on diaminodiacids had become an effective method for the synthesis of disulfide‐containing polypeptides. At present, it remains necessary to develop a diaminodiacid with more abundant chain structures to study the structure‐activity relationship. In this work, we developed a new type of diaminodiacids containing a six‐atom thioether (C−C‐S−C‐C−C, C−C‐C−S‐C−C) bridge. The key segment protected homo‐homocystine can be efficiently obtained by converting a side chain carboxyl group into a thiol group, which contribute to the facile and efficient synthesis of new diaminodiacid. With this diaminodiacid in hand, we successfully obtained tachyplesin containing new disulfide bond mimic by solid phase peptide synthesis. The tachyplesin analog not only has similar activity as natural counterpart, but also exhibits increased stability under reducing conditions.
Recyclable Itaconic Acid with Water as Green Catalytic System: Synthesis of Substituted 1,5‐Benzodiazepine Derivatives at Room Temperature
Authors: Tamuli Kashyap J. , Bordoloi Manobjyoti
Published: January 2020

The construction of new C–N chemical bonds through co‐condensation reaction in water media as sole solvent, especially without the use of any metal catalyst has undergoes green protocols. Herein, we describe a water‐mediated and metal‐free mild protocol for easily accessing of structurally and electronically diverse 1,5‐benzodiazepine analogous by using biodegradable naturally occurring itaconic acid (20 mol%) in 30 minutes with excellent yields. The simplicity in reaction operation, reusability of the catalytic system and simple filtration to get the desired product make this reaction as “green synthetic pathway” upto multi gram scale level.
Solvent‐Free Synthesis Using Nb2O5 and a Theoretical‐Experimental Study of Solvent Effect in New Rhodamine Dyes
Authors: Sacoman Torquato da Silva Bruno Henrique , Olbera Riehl Luiza , Carvalho dos Santos Giovanny , Carlos Roldao Juan , da Silva‐Filho Luiz Carlos
Published: January 2020

Rhodamine dyes have several applications based on properties, such as high molar absorptivity, high fluorescence quantum yield, photostability, absorption and emission wavelengths in the visible region. In this paper, we describe the solvent‐free synthesis of rhodamines between m‐aminophenol derivatives (3‐dimethylamino and 3‐diethylaminophenol) and phthalic anhydride derivatives (with and without halogens in the benzene ring) using Nb2O5 as catalyst. The compounds were produced in high yields (79 to 90%) within one hour of reaction time and with catalyst recovery. Additionally, a solvatochromic study of rhodamine derivatives was described. These compounds have absorption and emission bands at wavelengths in the visible region and a high quantum yield that potentially makes them good dyes for use in electronic devices (e. g. lasers, OLEDs). The DFT calculations provided a basis for understanding the effect of the solvent on the structural forms of rhodamine and corroborated with the experimental data, where the zwitterionic form is predominant in polar solvents, while in apolar solvents the lactonic form is the most stable.
Influence of Support Properties and Particle Size on the Gold‐Catalyzed Base‐Free Aerobic Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural
Authors: Sun Weixiao , Gao Tianqi , Zhu Guanghui , Cao Qiue , Fang Wenhao
Published: January 2020

Selective oxidation of biomass platform molecule 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into valuable bio‐monomer 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is an important biorefinery process. In our work, the structure‐activity relationship of Au nanoparticles supported on the composite of hydrotalcite and activated carbon (HT‐AC) toward selective oxidation of HMF to FDCA without a base was studied with a focus on the influence of support property and Au particles size. The initial conversion rate of substrates and the intrinsic selectivity of products were investigated. Various physicochemical techniques including XRD, Raman, XPS, CO2‐TPD and TEM were used to characterize the HT‐AC supports and the Au/HT‐AC catalysts. Synergistic support effect was observed when HT and AC were combined to show the features of both basic sites and oxygen‐containing functional groups attached to the catalyst surface, which eventually promoted the adsorption of HMF and the formation of FDCA. The Au NPs were found in metallic state and highly dispersed with a mean size of 2.5 nm, which was favored to efficiently convert HMF to FDCA. It was disclosed that both the support effect and Au size effect could promote FDCA production through accelerating the conversion rate of HMF and HMFCA, and the rate‐determining step was determined in HMFCA transformation.
Single‐Atom Iron‐Nitrogen Catalytic Site with Graphitic Nitrogen for Efficient Electroreduction of CO2
Authors: Zhu Ying , Li Xueyan , Wang Xingpu , Lv Kuilin , Xiao Guozheng , Feng Jingjing , Jiang Xiaohui , Fang Mingwei , Zhu Ying
Published: January 2020

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) and other useful fuels/chemicals offers a green and promising technical solution for alleviating greenhouse effect and creating economic benefits. Herein, we developed a single‐atom Fe dispersed on N‐doped carbons nanosheet (Fe−SA/NCS−X) for CO2 electroreduction by direct pyrolysis of hemin‐doped polyaniline fabricated by in‐situ chemical polymerization. The Fe‐SA/NCS‐700 achieved a Faraday efficiency of CO up to 87 % at −0.45 V vs. RHE, a low onset overpotential of 105 mV and remarkable durability with the current density being maintained for 10 h constant electrocatalysis, which were comparable to the latest reported single‐atom catalysts. The Tafel slope of Fe‐SA/NCS‐700 was measured to be about 67 mV/dec, close to theoretical value of 59 mV/dec, which indicated a rapid pre‐equilibrating one‐electron transfer followed by a rate‐determining reaction step. DFT calculations revealed that the graphitic N species can synergistically improve the catalytic activities of Fe‐N4 sites of Fe‐SA/NCS−X by significantly lowering the free energy barriers of *COOH intermediate formation, thus promoting CO2 electroreduction to CO.
Nanomolar Synthesis in Droplet Microarrays with UV‐Triggered On‐Chip Cell Screening
Authors: Brehm Marius , Heissler Stefan , Afonin Sergii , Levkin Pavel A.
Published: January 2020

Miniaturization and parallelization of combinatorial organic synthesis is important to accelerate the process of drug discovery while reducing the consumption of reagents and solvents. This work presents a miniaturized platform for on‐chip solid‐phase combinatorial library synthesis with UV‐triggered on‐chip cell screening. The platform is based on a nanoporous polymer coating on a glass slide, which is modified via photolithography to yield arrays of hydrophilic (HL) spots surrounded by superhydrophobic (SH) surface. The combination of HL spots and SH background enables confinement of nanoliter droplets, functioning as miniaturized reactors for the solid‐phase synthesis. The polymer serves as support for nanomolar solid‐phase synthesis, while a photocleavable linker enables the release of the synthesized compounds into the droplets containing live cells. A 588 compound library of bisamides is synthesized via a four‐component Ugi reaction on the chip and products are detected via stamping of the droplet array onto a conductive substrate and subsequent matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The light‐induced cleavage shows high flexibility in screening conditions by spatial, temporal, and quantitative control.
Prelithiated V2C MXene: A High‐Performance Electrode for Hybrid Magnesium/Lithium‐Ion Batteries by Ion Cointercalation
Authors: Liu Fanfan , Liu Yongchang , Zhao Xudong , Liu Kunyang , Yin Haiqing , Fan Li‐Zhen
Published: January 2020

The pursuit of high reversible capacity and long cycle life for rechargeable batteries has gained extensive attention in recent years, and the development of applicable electrode materials is the key point. Herein, thanks to the preintercalation of lithium ions, a stable and highly conductive nanostructure of V2C MXene is successfully fabricated via a facile self‐discharge mechanism, which provides open spaces for rapid ion diffusion and guarantees fast electron transport. Taking the prelithiated V2C as electrode, an outstanding initial coulombic efficiency of 80% and an impressive capacity retention of ≈98% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles are achieved for lithium‐ion batteries. Especially, it demonstrates a fascinating reversible capacity of up to 230.3 mA h g−1 at 0.02 A g−1 and a long cycling life of 82% capacity retention over 480 cycles in the hybrid magnesium/lithium‐ion batteries. In addition, the Mg2+ and Li+ ions cointercalation mechanism of the prelithiated V2C is elucidated through ex situ X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations. This work not only offers an effective approach to compensate the large initial lithium loss of high‐capacity anode materials but also opens up a new and viable avenue to develop promising hybrid Mg/Li‐storage materials with eminent electrochemical performance.
NiS‐Decorated ZnO/ZnS Nanorod Heterostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: Insight into the Role of NiS
Authors: Zhang Qingsong , Xiao Yang , Li Yiming , Zhao Kaiyuan , Deng Huifang , Lou Yongbing , Chen Jinxi , Cheng Lin
Published: January 2020

Loading cocatalysts can effectively enhance the surface hydrogen reduction in photocatalytic water splitting by introducing a positive Schottky barrier. NiS is regarded as a promising cocatalyst to replace the noble metals due to its low cost and equivalent or even better performance. However, there is a huge controversy over whether the NiS cocatalyst is used to trap electrons or holes in the photocatalytic process. Herein, a new type of NiS‐decorated ZnO/ZnS (ZnOS) nanorod heterostructure photocatalysts is first designed from the corresponding bimetallic organic frameworks (ZnNi–MOFs). The Zn species in the bimetallic–MOFs can spatially separate the Ni species to restrain their aggregation, which is beneficial for the formation of NiS with a small enough size. The optimal heterostructure photocatalysts exhibit an excellent hydrogen production rate of 27 mmol g−1 h−1, which is about seven times higher than that of the ZnOS heterostructure. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and open‐circuit potential characterizations disclose that NiS can effectively facilitate the migration of the electrons. Density functional theory calculations, including differential charge density, Mulliken population analyses, and d‐band center, intuitively reveal that the real role of NiS in the photocatalytic process is to capture the electrons rather than the holes.
Big data deployment in containerized infrastructures through the interconnection of network namespaces
Authors: Sauvanaud Carla , Dholakia Ajay , Guitart Jordi , Kim Chulho , Mayes Peter
Published: January 2020

Big Data applications tackle the challenge of fast handling of large streams of data. Their performance is not only dependent on the data frameworks implementation and the underlying hardware but also on the deployment scheme and its potential for fast scaling. Consequently, several efforts have focused on the ease of deployment of Big Data applications, notably through the use of containerization. This technology was indeed raised to bring multitenancy and multiprocessing out of clusters, providing high deployment flexibility through lightweight container images. Recent studies have focused mostly on Docker containers. Notwithstanding, this article is actually interested in recent Singularity containers as they provide more security and support high‐performance computing (HPC) environments and, in this way, they can make Big Data applications benefit from the specialized hardware of HPC. Singularity 2.x, however, does not isolate network resources as required by most Big Data components. Singularity 3.x allows allocating each container with isolated network resources, but their interconnection requires a nontrivial amount of configuration effort. In this context, this article makes a functional contribution in the form of a deployment scheme based on the interconnection of network namespaces, through underlay and overlay networking approaches, to make Big Data applications easily deployable inside Singularity containers. We provide detailed account of our deployment scheme when using both interconnection approaches in the form of a “how‐to‐do‐it” report, and we evaluate it by comparing three Big Data applications based on Hadoop when performing on a bare‐metal infrastructure and on scenarios involving Singularity and Docker instances.
Underestimation of Jingle Fallacy Influences on Systems Acquisitions
Authors: Robinson Fred Y.
Published: January 2020

This research paper analyzes the experiences of participants on projects at various stages of systems acquisition where jingle fallacy miscommunications impacted their projects' execution and outcomes. The participant's experiences, collected as part of a larger phenomenological study, represent both government and commercial project executions, primarily related to information technology solutions along with some hardware‐centric projects. This analysis focuses particularly on establishing a sharedness of participants' experiences and similarity of influences through disparate jingle fallacies across diverse acquisitions. The research findings regarding the participant's experiences reflect a common evolution of their jingle fallacy's lifecycles and their acquisition project impacts.
Template‐Dependent (Ir)reversibility of Noncovalent Synthesis Pathways
Authors: Chandrabhas Sushmitha , Olivo Michele , Prins Leonard J.
Published: January 2020

Non‐covalent synthesis aims at exploiting non‐covalent interactions for the controlled hierarchical assembly of nanostructures. Just as the covalent synthesis of molecules is affected by the conditions under which the chemical reaction is carried out, the outcome of a non‐covalent synthesis process can be likewise affected by the experimental pathway in case the assembled structures are kinetic, rather than thermodynamic, products. Here, we show that the ATP‐templated formation of metallo‐amphiphile assemblies results in different kinetically stable structures depending on the self‐assembly pathway. Interconversion between the different assembled states is not possible and neither is ATP subject to enzymatic hydrolysis which would convert the system back to the unassembled state. The high stability of the different assembly states is a result of the strong interaction between ATP and the metallo‐amphiphile. Indeed, the use of AMP as a weakly interacting template leads to thermodynamically stable assemblies which can be transitioned between different states. The results underline that control over the kinetic processes that regulate self‐assembly is a fundamental tool for the hierarchical self‐assembly of complex nanostructures and the development of energy‐driven synthetic systems.
The argument from sideways music
Authors: Bnefsi Sayid R. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: January 2020

Recently in Analysis, Ned Markosian has argued that a popular theory in the metaphysics of time—the Spacetime Thesis—falsely predicts that a normal musical performance is just as aesthetically valuable if it is rotated “sideways,” that is, if it is made to occur all at once. However, this argument falsely assumes that changing how something is oriented in space, and changing its duration in time, are analogous. That said, assuming they were analogous, Markosian's argument is still unsuccessful. For the analogy on which Markosian's argument depends entails that if one can experience sideways music as it was originally, then one can prove that sideways music is just as aesthetically valuable.
Testicular cancer: low testosterone and the metabolic syndrome
Authors: Kirby Mike
Published: January 2020

Cure rates for stage 1 testicular cancer are reaching 100%. However, long‐term treatment‐related side effects pose their own health risks. Regular follow up and monitoring are important for early detection and timely treatment of conditions such as testosterone deficiency and metabolic syndrome.
TULA in recurrent non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Sarkar Somita , Mayor Nikhil , Mostafid Hugh
Published: January 2020

Recent NICE guidance says there is limited evidence for the efficacy of transurethral laser ablation for recurrent non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer and that ‘special arrangements’ need to be in place if it is to be offered to patients. Here the authors consider the advantages and drawbacks of the treatment.
Systemic lupus erythematosus: causes and manifestations
Authors: Barcia‐Sixto Laura , Isenberg David
Published: January 2020

Little is known about the precise aetiology of systemic lupus erythematosus, but treatment should be individualised according to predominant symptoms, organ involvement, response to previous therapy and disease activity and severity.
Clinical teaching fellows: a mutually beneficial relationship
Authors: Marriott Charlotte , Boyd John
Published: January 2020

Clinical teaching fellow (CTF) jobs give junior doctors the opportunity to develop their mentoring and teaching skills, yet awareness of the posts remains low. Here the authors describe what being a CTF entails and the benefits it can offer.
Combining industrial and urban water‐reuse concepts for increasing the water resources in water‐scarce regions
Authors: Bauer Sonja , Linke Hans Joachim , Wagner Martin
Published: January 2020

Water scarcity is a huge challenge for industrial and urban developments. As such developments are based on a secure water supply, strategies to ensure the required water quantities must be put into effect. In this context, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor due to the worsening of pollution and climate change. The integrated industrial–urban water‐reuse concept (IU‐WA‐RE) links gray and green infrastructures by providing reuse water for different infrastructural purposes. Municipal and industrial wastewater is treated separately in different water resource recovery facilities. As a baseline the SEMIZENTRAL approach with the Resource and Recovery Center (RRC) and the Industrial Wastewater Management Concept with a focus on Reuse (IW2MC→R) for the industrial wastewater treatment are taken into account. These approaches are new concepts for wastewater treatment “fit for purpose.” IU‐WA‐RE combines the water‐reuse concepts by linking reuse water flows between the urban area and the adjacent industrial park, but focuses not on a production internal water reuse. The concept is designed to offer a holistic strategy to increase the water‐reuse potential and thus the water resources. It offers a solution to cover the lack of water requirements in urban areas. It is therefore possible to drive sustainable urban developments.

Practitioner points

The water‐reuse potential increases enormously by combining industrial and municipal wastewater flows.

Industrial wastewater should be treated “fit for purpose” and applied in the urban area since the municipal wastewater is not sufficient to cover its own water requirements for infrastructural purposes.

Water‐reuse for infrastructural purposes increases water resources.

The application of reuse water drives sustainable urban developments.
Formal reliability and failure analysis of ethernet based communication networks in a smart grid substation
Authors: Ahmad Waqar , Hasan Osman , Tahar Sofiène
Published: January 2020

Secure and continuous operation of a smart grid substation mainly depends upon the reliable functioning of its communication network. The communication system of a smart substation is typically based on a high performance Ethernet communication network that connects various intelligent embedded devices, such as Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) andMerging Units (MU), to ensure continuous monitoring, automation and efficient demand response of the smart substation. Traditionally, Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) and Fault Tree (FT) methods are used to develop reliability and failure models for these communication networks by considering the failure characteristics of their substation intelligent embedded devices and other components, like transformers and circuit breakers. These resulting reliability and failure models are then analyzed using paper-and-pencil methods or computer simulations, but they cannot assure accuracy in the analysis due to their inherent limitations. As an accurate alternative, we propose a methodology, based on higher-order logic theorem proving, for conducting the formal RBD and FT-based reliability and failure analysis of smart substation communication networks, respectively. This paper also describes a sound transformation of smart grid FT models to their equivalent RBDs - a well-known method to reduce the complexity of FT-based failure analysis. Some ML-based tactics have been developed to automatically compute the reliability and failure probability of smart grid substations for practical purposes.
Assessing differences in household needs: a comparison of approaches for the estimation of equivalence scales using German expenditure data
Authors: Dudel Christian , Garbuszus Jan Marvin , Schmied Julian
Published: January 2020

Equivalence scales are routinely applied to adjust the income of households of different sizes and compositions. Because of their practical importance for the measurement of inequality and poverty, a large number of methods for the estimation of equivalence scales have been proposed. Until now, however, no comprehensive comparison of current methods has been conducted. In this paper, we employ German household expenditure data to estimate equivalence scales using several parametric, semiparametric, and nonparametric approaches. Using a single dataset, we find that some approaches yield more plausible results than others while implausible scales are mostly based on linear Engel curves. The results we consider plausible are close to the modified OECD scale, and to the square root scale for larger households.
A randomized, placebo-controlled laboratory study of the effects of D-cycloserine on sexual memory consolidation in women
Authors: Both S. , Van Veen R. J. B. , Brom M. , Weijenborg P. T. M.
Published: January 2020

Rationale and objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible facilitating effect of the partial NMDA receptor agonist D-cycloserine (DCS) on memory consolidation of conditioned sexual responses and to examine the capability of DCS to reduce context-specificity of learning.

Methods

In a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial, 50 healthy females were exposed to a differential conditioning procedure. Two pictures of a male abdomen were used as conditional stimuli (CSs), of which one (the CS+) was followed by the unconditional stimulus (US), a genital vibrotactile stimulus. After the conditioning session on day 1, participants received either 125 mg of DCS or a placebo. The effects of DCS on affect, sexual arousal and US expectancy in response to the CS+ and CS− were examined 24 h after the conditioning procedure.

Results

A main effect of DCS was found on affect at the first test trials (p = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.09), and a similar non-significant but trend level effect was found for sexual arousal (p = 0.06, ηp2 = 0.07), which appeared to persist over a longer time (p = 0.07, ηp2 = 0.08). Unexpectedly, ratings of positive affect and sexual arousal in response to both the CS+ and the CS− were higher in the DCS condition compared to the control condition, possibly indicating that DCS administration reduced stimulus specificity. Since the results did not show clear evidence for context learning, we were not able to test effects on context-specificity of learning.

Conclusion

Although largely inconclusive, the results provide tentative support for a facilitating effect of DCS on affect and sexual arousal in response to stimuli that were presented in a sexual conditioning procedure, however, no conclusions can be drawn about effects of DCS on sexual reward learning, since the design and results do not lend themselves to unambiguous interpretation.