bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of sulfhydryl sites on palladium (II) adsorption by displaying EC20 on the surface of Escherichia coli
Authors: Tan Ling , Xiao Yong , Cui Hao , Xu Hang , Xu Meiying , Wu Haiyan , Dong Haigang , Qiu Guanzhou , Liu Xinxing , Xie Jianping
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

Sulfhydryl binding dominates metal adsorption onto bacteria, however, their role in palladium adsorption under high metal loading conditions remains unclear. We investigated their influence on palladium adsorption by increasing (expression of EC20 protein) and decreasing (selective blocking of ‐SH) the number of sulfhydryl sites on the surface of Escherichia coli (E. coli).

RESULTS

Kinetic and equilibrium studies confirmed that the sulfhydryl sites in the EC20 protein played an important role in Pd (II) adsorption, while blocking the sulfhydryl sites resulted in the decrease of adsorption capacity. The accumulation of palladium in the surface of E. coli BL21 cells was enhanced by displaying EC20 protein, and morphology properties of Pd‐loaded cells changed considerably. SEM and TEM analyses showed that palladium ions were absorbed both in the exterior and interior of cells. Pd‐S bond was detected by XPS in Pd‐loaded cells, and it was demonstrated that the unbound sulfhydryl site was a contributor in Pd (II) adsorption.

CONCLUSION

Sulfhydryl sites on the surface of E. coli are significant functional groups in Pd (II) adsorption, increasing their number by EC20 protein expression leads to the increase of Pd (II) adsorption capacity, and vice versa. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Influence of light intensity on microalgal growth, nutrients removal and capture of carbon in the wastewater under intermittent supply of CO2
Authors: Liu Xiaoning , Ying Kezhen , Chen Guangyao , Tao Yi , Cai Zhonghua , Wang Jun
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

The role of light intensity in microalgal cultivation supplied with CO2 is still required to be fully investigated. This study researched the growth of Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris), nutrient removal and carbon capture in the wastewater for various light intensities under the intermittent injection of CO2.

RESULTS

The biomass for 80 µmol m−2 s−1 reached maximum value within 6 days. The chlorophyll content of C. vulgaris exhibited an ascending trend when increasing the light intensity from 20 to 60 µmol m−2 s−1. Cultural pH for 80 µmol m−2 s−1 showed the largest level of increase in the first 4 days, then began to decline. The light intensity of 80 µmol m−2 s−1 had the quickest TN and TP reduction trend in the wastewater. The difference in consumed N versus P ratio was caused by the different specific growth rates and demands for nutrients at each growth stage of C. vulgaris. The degradation of tryptophan‐like substances and the increase of other substances were likely due to the release of extracellular polymeric substance of C. vulgaris.

CONCLUSION

The light intensity of 80 µmol m−2 s−1 resulted in the highest biomass, the quickest TN and TP reduction trend in the wastewater. Light intensity exhibited no significant influence on removal of organic carbon, but affected the transformation of organic compounds in the wastewater under intermittent supply of 10% CO2. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
A case of undeclared debt? Claude Lévi‐Strauss’ ambiguities and paradoxes toward analytical psychology
Authors: Serina Florent
Published: June 2018

If his relationship to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis has been widely acknowledged, Claude Lévi‐Strauss’ rapport with C.G. Jung's analytical psychology remains quite obscure. While secondary commentary has been abundant, its approach has above all been intertextual, to the detriment of a rigorously historical reading. Even if certain arguments put forward by supporters of so‐called “influence” deserve to be taken into account, especially because they highlight Lévi‐Strauss ambiguities and paradoxes toward Jung, this paper provides proof that a precise reading of the texts, with the help of recent studies on the intellectual genesis of Lévi‐Strauss, lead to reject the thesis of an unstated debt owed by the French anthropologist to the Zurich psychologist.
Synthesis of Some Novel Heteroannulated Pyrano[3,2‐c]quinoline‐2,5(6H)‐diones
Authors: Hassanin Hany Mohamed , Abdel‐Kader Dalia
Published: June 2018

6‐Butyl‐3‐((dimethylamino)methylene)pyrano[3,2‐c]quinolinone and 6‐butyl pyrano[3,2‐c]quinolone‐3‐carbonitrile were efficiently synthesized in good yield. These two new precursors were used to obtain some novel heteroannulated pyrano[3,2‐c]quinolone derivatives from heterocyclization reactions with various binucleophiles. These heteroannulation reactions afforded novel heterocyclic systems fused to the pyranoquinolinone at face c, such as pyrazole, pyrimidine, pyridine, and pyrazolopyranone.
Variation in flexural stiffness of the lepidotrichia within and among the soft fins of yellow perch under different preservation techniques
Authors: Taft Natalia K. , Taft Benjamin N. , Henck Hailey , Mehner Thomas
Published: June 2018

Although the ray‐finned fishes are named for their bony, segmented lepidotrichia (fin rays), we are only beginning to understand the morphological and functional diversity of this key vertebrate structure. Fin rays support the fin web, and their material properties help define the function of the entire fin. Many earlier studies of fin ray morphology and function have focused on isolated rays, or on rays from only one or two fins. At the same time, relatively little is known about how different preservation techniques affect the material properties of many vertebrate structures, including fin rays. Here, we use three‐point bending tests to examine intra‐ and inter‐fin variation in the flexural stiffness of fin rays from yellow perch,Perca flavescens. We sampled fin rays from individuals that were assigned to one of three preservation treatments: fresh, frozen, and preserved with formalin. The flexural stiffness of the fin rays varied within and among fins. Pelvic‐fin rays were the stiffest, and pectoral fin rays the least stiff. The fin rays of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins all had similar stiffness values, which were intermediate relative to those from the paired fins. The flexural stiffness of the fin rays was higher in rays that were at the leading edge of the fin. This variation in flexural stiffness was associated with variation in joint density and the relative length of the unsegmented proximal base of the fin rays. There was no significant difference in flexural stiffness between fresh and frozen specimens. In specimens preserved with formalin, there is a small but significant effect on stiffness in smaller fin rays.
Improving Gas Sequestration by Surfactant‐Alternating‐Gas Injection: A Comparative Evaluation of the Surfactant Type and Concentration
Authors: Kamal Muhammad S. , Adebayo Abdulrauf R. , Fogang Lionel T. , Barri Assad A.
Published: June 2018

Gas injection into porous subsurface geological formations for geological storage is currently considered the most preferable and practicable means of reducing greenhouse gases due to the huge capacity of deep saline aquifers. Residual trapping of gas plays an important role in immobilization of injected gas into an aquifer. Surfactant‐alternating‐gas (SAG) injection can be used as a mobility control method in gas sequestration and several simulation studies explained different aspects of residual‐gas trapping. However, research in this field is inconclusive and needs more attention to develop a better understanding. In this work, we used 3 different surfactants from different classes at various concentrations to assess gas‐sequestration efficiency using SAG methods in carbonate and sandstone rocks. This work is the first of its kind on the comparative performance of different surfactants for gas sequestration in different rocks. The surfactants were hydrocarbon zwitterionic, fluorinated zwitterionic, and nonionic. It was found that residual‐gas saturation increases by increasing the surfactant concentration. The increase in residual trapping with surfactant concentration also depends on the type of surfactant and rock. In both rock types considered, the best performance was achieved using fluorinated zwitterionic surfactants followed by hydrocarbon zwitterionic surfactants. In addition, a synergetic effect between hydrocarbon and fluorinated surfactants further improves the residual‐gas saturation. The residual‐gas trapping was higher in the tight sample compared to highly permeable samples. This will help in developing an understanding of surfactant optimization and selection for gas sequestration using the SAG method.
Development of overlapping repeated separation of steviol glycosides with counter current chromatography and a comparison with a conventional repeated separation method
Authors: Huang Xin‐Yi , Tian Min , Pei Dong , Liu Jian‐Fei , Di Duo‐Long
Published: June 2018

Repeated separation is a valuable method in counter current chromatography, especially on a preparative scale. It can greatly reduce the separation time and the consumption of solvent. In this study, an overlapping repeated separation method was developed. Meanwhile, this method was used to separate steviol glycosides and compared with conventional repeated separation method. The results show that both methods are effective ways for countercurrent chromatography to prepare compounds but the overlapping repeated separation method requires fewer time and solvent than the conventional repeated separation method. So this novel repeated separation method has enormous potential for a preparative separation of target compounds and is very useful for the high‐throughput purification of natural products.
Functional Movement Disorders and Placebo: A Brief Review of the Placebo Effect in Movement Disorders and Ethical Considerations for Placebo Therapy
Authors: Kaas Bonnie M. , Humbyrd Casey Jo , Pantelyat Alexander
Published: June 2018

Background

Functional movement disorders are common and disabling neurologic conditions. Patients with functional neurologic disorders represent a large proportion of neurology clinic referrals, and limited availability of subspecialty care creates a considerable burden for the healthcare system. These conditions are currently treated with a combination of physical therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, with variable success.

Methods

We searched the Medline database for studies on the epidemiology and physiology of functional movement disorders, as well as those on the placebo effect in movement disorders. We reviewed and summarized the literature on these topics and explored ethical issues concerning the administration of placebos to patients with functional movement disorders.

Results

Studies of placebos, particularly in patients with movement disorders, have shown that these “inert” agents can provide demonstrable neurophysiologic benefits, even in open‐label studies. Physician surveys have shown that many administer placebos for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, although there are ethical concerns about this practice. We used a principle‐based approach and reviewed ethical arguments for (justice and beneficence) and against (non‐maleficence and autonomy) the use of placebos in functional movement disorders. In this context, we argue for the importance of the therapeutic alliance in preserving patient autonomy while exploring the potential benefits of placebo therapy.

Conclusions

An ethical argument is presented in support of nondeceptive clinical placebo use for the treatment of functional movement disorders. Patient and clinician attitudes regarding the use of placebos should be investigated before placebo‐therapy trials are conducted.
The Protective Activities of Dietary Sea Cucumber Cerebrosides against Atherosclerosis through Regulating Inflammation and Cholesterol Metabolism in Male Mice
Authors: Zhang Lingyu , Zhang Tiantian , Ding Lin , Xu Jie , Xue Changhu , Yanagita Teruyoshi , Chang Yaoguang , Wang Yuming
Published: June 2018

Scope

Cerebroside is an active component extracted from sea cucumber (SCC), which is a traditional tonic food in China. In this study, the protective effect of SCC on atherogenesis is investigated and the possible underlying mechanism is determined.

Method and results

Male C57BL/6J obese mice were first used to explore the impact of SCC at different doses on alleviating lipid disorders and insulin sensitivity. Then ApoE−/− mice were used to evaluate the protective activities of SCC on atherosclerosis. The results demonstrated that dietary SCC increased the insulin sensitivity and reduced serum and hepatic lipid profiles in a dose‐dependent manner in C57BL/6J mice. In ApoE−/− mice, SCC treatment significantly decreased the atherosclerotic lesion formation and attenuated inflammation by decreasing the levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as CRP, TNF‐α, IL‐6. Compared to the model group, the SCC group showed lower cholesterol levels in serum and liver by mediating the expression of genes related to hepatic LDL uptake and cholesterol excretion.

Conclusion

Dietary SCC has the potential to eliminate atherosclerosis through regulating inflammation and cholesterol metabolism, and may be beneficial for the health of patients with cardiovascular disease.
perfectBASH: Band‐selective homonuclear decoupling in peptides and peptidomimetics
Authors: Ilgen Julian , Kaltschnee Lukas , Thiele Christina M.
Published: June 2018

Pure shift techniques have recently attracted much attention, as they have the ability to reduce spectral overlap and thus to simplify the analysis of complex and congested spectral regions. For peptides, band‐selective pure shift approaches are often the most reasonable choice among these, when spectra need to be simplified along proton dimensions. Band‐selective approaches usually offer the highest sensitivity of all pure shift methods, albeit at the cost that signals can only be acquired in a single‐frequency region of the spectrum, in which protons are well isolated in the proton spectrum. For α‐peptides, signals are usually acquired either in the amide‐proton region or in the α‐proton region. Herein, we present experiments, which enable the pure shift acquisition in both the amide‐proton and the α‐proton regions of α‐peptides simultaneously, without sacrificing the characteristics of band‐selective pure shift methods to provide high sensitivity. The “perfectBASH” approach discussed here combines the perfect echo experiment with band‐selective decoupling. It can be used for band‐selective pure shift acquisition of 1H, TOCSY, CLIP‐COSY, relayed CLIP‐COSY, NOESY, and EASY‐ROESY spectra, with proton–proton decoupling over the full backbone region of α‐peptides, which is most interesting for samples prepared without isotopic enrichment. As the utility of this technique is by no means limited to α‐peptides, we further illustrate its utility for 1H‐NMR studies of a peptidomimetic oligourea.
Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in pregnancy in Ikere‐Ekiti, Nigeria
Authors: Okunola Temitope O. , Olubiyi Olaolu A. , Omoya Sunday , Rosiji Babatunde , Ajenifuja Kayode O.
Published: June 2018

Aims

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for urinary incontinence (UI) among antenatal clinic attendees in a low resourced setting in Nigeria.

Methods

This study was a cross‐sectional study involving pregnant women aged 18‐45 years. Data was obtained from 442 pregnant women using the English version International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Urinary Incontinence—Short form (ICIQ‐UI‐SF) from July 2017‐September 2017. The questionnaires were self‐administered. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Logistic regression was also used to derive the adjusted odds ratio for risk factors of urinary incontinence among the respondents. A P‐value <0.05 was taken as statistically significant.

Results

The prevalence of urinary incontinence in this study was 28.1%. UI prevalence among the nulliparous and multiparous women were 28.7% and 27.7% respectively. Stress urinary incontinence was the commonest (17.4%) while sexual relation was the most affected lifestyle (22.6%). Overweight (AOR 1.39, P = 0.03), obesity (AOR 1.60, P = 0.009), third trimester (AOR 2.09, P = 0.011), previous instrumental vaginal delivery (AOR 11.54, P < 0.001), Ibo tribe (AOR 3.29, P = 0.006); and Ebira tribe (AOR 8.86, P = 0.028) were associated with UI in pregnancy.

Conclusion

Urinary incontinence affects more than a quarter of pregnant women; with substantial lifestyle changes; and sexual relation is the most affected activity. Health care providers should endeavor to enquire about symptoms of UI among pregnant women. Efficacy of interventions needs to be investigated in this population.
Solar Energy Powers Remote Water Systems
Authors: Patterson Craig , Maldonado Cristina , Sinha Rajib , Lopez‐Maisonave Carlos A. , Ramírez‐Toro Graciela
Published: June 2018

A US Environmental Protection Agency project proved solar energy's viability for small community water systems in Puerto Rico and other remote areas.
Electronic Health Record–Enabled Big‐Data Approaches to Nephrotoxin‐Associated Acute Kidney Injury Risk Prediction
Authors: Sutherland Scott M.
Published: June 2018

Nephrotoxin‐associated acute kidney injury (NTx‐AKI) has become one of the most common causes of AKI among hospitalized adults and children; across acute and intensive care populations, exposure to nephrotoxins accounts for 15–25% of AKI cases. Although some interventions have shown promise in observational studies, no treatments currently exist for NTx‐AKI once it occurs. Thus, nearly all effective strategies are aimed at prevention. The primary obstacle to prevention is risk prediction and the determination of which patients are more likely to develop NTx‐AKI when exposed to medications with nephrotoxic potential. Historically, traditional statistical modeling has been applied to previously recognized clinical risk factors to identify predictors of NTx‐AKI. However, increased electronic health record adoption and the evolution of “big‐data” approaches to predictive analytics may offer a unique opportunity to prevent NTx‐AKI events. This article describes prior and current approaches to NTx‐AKI prediction and offers three novel use cases for electronic health record–enabled NTx‐AKI forecasting and risk profiling.
Natural Language Processing and Its Implications for the Future of Medication Safety: A Narrative Review of Recent Advances and Challenges
Authors: Wong Adrian , Plasek Joseph M. , Montecalvo Steven P. , Zhou Li
Published: June 2018

The safety of medication use has been a priority in the United States since the late 1930s. Recently, it has gained prominence due to the increasing amount of data suggesting that a large amount of patient harm is preventable and can be mitigated with effective risk strategies that have not been sufficiently adopted. Adverse events from medications are part of clinical practice, but the ability to identify a patient's risk and to minimize that risk must be a priority. The ability to identify adverse events has been a challenge due to limitations of available data sources, which are often free text. The use of natural language processing (NLP) may help to address these limitations. NLP is the artificial intelligence domain of computer science that uses computers to manipulate unstructured data (i.e., narrative text or speech data) in the context of a specific task. In this narrative review, we illustrate the fundamentals of NLP and discuss NLP's application to medication safety in four data sources: electronic health records, Internet‐based data, published literature, and reporting systems. Given the magnitude of available data from these sources, a growing area is the use of computer algorithms to help automatically detect associations between medications and adverse effects. The main benefit of NLP is in the time savings associated with automation of various medication safety tasks such as the medication reconciliation process facilitated by computers, as well as the potential for near–real‐time identification of adverse events for postmarketing surveillance such as those posted on social media that would otherwise go unanalyzed. NLP is limited by a lack of data sharing between health care organizations due to insufficient interoperability capabilities, inhibiting large‐scale adverse event monitoring across populations. We anticipate that future work in this area will focus on the integration of data sources from different domains to improve the ability to identify potential adverse events more quickly and to improve clinical decision support with regard to a patient's estimated risk for specific adverse events at the time of medication prescription or review.
Are psychological interventions effective on anxiety in cancer patients? A systematic review and meta‐analyses
Authors: Sanjida Saira , McPhail Steven M. , Shaw Joanne , Couper Jeremy , Kissane David , Price Melanie A. , Janda Monika
Published: June 2018

Objective

The aims of this meta‐analysis were to estimate the overall effect size (ES) of psychological interventions on anxiety in patients with cancer and extract sample and intervention characteristics that influence effectiveness.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, and CINAHL were searched using Medical Subject Heading keywords ‘cancer’ AND ‘anxiety’ AND ‘psychological intervention’ AND ‘counselling’ AND ‘psycho*’ AND ‘psychotherapy’ AND ‘psychosocial’ AND ‘therapy’ between January 1993 and June 2017.

Results

Seventy‐one studies were eligible for the systematic review; among them, 51 studies were included in the meta‐analysis calculations. The overall ES was −0.21 (95% confidence interval; −0.30 to −0.13) in favour of the intervention. From subgroup analyses, studies conducted in Asia, enrolling inpatients, focussing on relaxation, of <6‐week intervention duration, <30‐minute intervention dose per session, and <4 hours of total time of intervention showed moderate ESs ranging from −0.40 to −0.55. Only 2 studies restricted enrolment to prescreened patients with clinically elevated level of anxiety and showed moderate ES of −0.58.

Conclusions

Low psychological distress at baseline and nonevidence‐based interventions were the main factors identified for low effectiveness. Screening and assessment to determine clinical levels of anxiety in patients with cancer should be considered in future trials as an inclusion criterion before providing psychological interventions.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: CRD42017056132.
Benzoxazoles as novel herbicidal agents
Authors: Sangi Diego P , Meira Yuri G , Moreira Natália M , Lopes Thais A , Leite Mathias P , Pereira‐Flores Milton E , Alvarenga Elson S
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

Despite the need to develop new herbicides with different modes of action, due to weed resistance, many important classes of compounds have been studied poorly for this purpose. Benzoxazoles are considered privileged structures because of their biological activities, but their phytotoxic activities have not received a lot of attention until now.

RESULTS

Double vinylic substitution reactions were carried out to furnish four 2‐nitromethylbenzoxazoles and one oxazolidine. Benzoxazol‐2‐ylmethanamine was obtained by reduction of compound 3a. These compounds were evaluated for their phytotoxicity in Allium cepa (onion), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Cucumis sativus (cucumber) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum). Comparison with oxazolidine analogue allowed us to understand that the benzoxazolic structure is very important for the herbicidal activity.

CONCLUSION

All the synthesized compounds exhibited biological activity on seed germination. The four 2‐nitromethylbenzoxazoles showed phytotoxic activity and the 5‐chloro‐2‐(nitromethyl)benzo[d]oxazole (3b) exhibited higher inhibition than the commercial herbicide against all four plant species tested. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Host‐plant resistance associated with Poncirus trifoliata influence oviposition, development and adult emergence of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae)
Authors: George Justin , Lapointe Stephen L
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is the primary vector of the phloem‐inhabiting bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus putatively responsible for citrus greening (huanglongbing), a devastating citrus disease. Infestations of D. citri frequently develop on Citrus and other genera within the Rutaceae subfamily Aurantioideae including Murraya and Bergera. The genotype Poncirus trifoliata is also a member of the Aurantioideae and readily hybridizes with Citrus spp., but colonization by D. citri is reduced on this genotype.

RESULTS

Working with young potted seedlings grown in a greenhouse, we found that the development of D. citri immatures on four P. trifoliata cultivars, especially ‘Kryder 55‐5’, was slower compared with the development of immatures on the susceptible Citrus macrophylla. In choice assays, adult psyllids exhibited antixenotic behavior towards accessions of P. trifoliata and laid fewer eggs on this genotype compared with C. macrophylla.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on reduced oviposition and delays in development, P. trifoliata exhibits a combination of antixenosis and antibiosis host‐plant resistance to D. citri. A companion plant assay showed that the presence of C. macrophylla stimulated higher oviposition rates on P. trifoliata, but nymph development remained retarded on P. trifoliata. Here, we show that the antixenosis associated with trifoliate accessions can be overcome to some extent by the presence of a preferred susceptible host plant; but in combination with antibiosis P. trifoliata remains an inferior host plant. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Ion mobility resolved photo‐fragmentation to discriminate protomers
Authors: Choi Chang Min , Kulesza Alexander , Daly Steven , MacAleese Luke , Antoine Rodolphe , Dugourd Philippe , Chirot Fabien
Published: June 2018

Rationale

Among the sources of structural diversity in biomolecular ions, the co‐existence of protomers is particularly difficult to take into account, which in turn complicates structural interpretation of gas‐phase data.

Methods

We investigated the sensitivity of gas‐phase photo‐fragmentation measurements and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) to the protonation state of a model peptide derivatized with chromophores. Accessible interconversion pathways between the different identified conformers were probed by tandem ion mobility measurement. Furthermore, the excitation coupling between the chromophores has been probed through photo‐fragmentation measurements on mobility‐selected ions. All results were interpreted based on molecular dynamics simulations.

Results

We show that protonation can significantly affect the photo‐fragmentation yields. Especially, conformers with very close collision cross sections (CCSs) may display dramatically different photo‐fragmentation yields in relation with different protonation patterns.

Conclusions

We show that, even if precise structure assignment based on molecular modeling is in principle difficult for large biomolecular assemblies, the combination of photo‐fragmentation and IMS can help to identify the signature of protomer co‐existence for a population of biomolecular ions in the gas phase. Such spectroscopic data are particularly suitable to follow conformational changes.
A Novel Graphite–Graphite Dual Ion Battery Using an AlCl3–[EMIm]Cl Liquid Electrolyte
Authors: Li Zhanyu , Liu Jian , Niu Bangbang , Li Jianling , Kang Feiyu
Published: June 2018

Herein, a novel graphite–graphite dual ion battery (GGDIB) based on a AlCl3/1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazole Cl ([EMIm]Cl) room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte, using conductive graphite paper as cathode and anode material is developed. The working principle of the GGDIB is investigated, that is, metallic aluminum is deposited/dissolved on the surface of the anode, and chloroaluminate ions are intercalated/deintercalated in the cathode material. The self‐discharge phenomenon and pseudocapacitive behavior of the GGDIB are also analyzed. The GGDIB shows excellent rate performance and cycle performance due to the high ionic conductivity of ionic liquids. The initial discharge capacity is 76.5 mA h g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1 over a voltage window of 0.1–2.3 V, and the capacity remains at 62.3 mA h g−1 after 1000 cycles with a corresponding capacity retention of 98.42% at a current density of 500 mA g−1. With the merits of environmental friendliness and low cost, the GGDIB has a great advantage in the future of energy storage application.
Ultrasensitive Surface‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection Based on Amorphous Molybdenum Oxide Quantum Dots
Authors: Li Hao , Xu Qun , Wang Xuzhe , Liu Wei
Published: June 2018

Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based on plasmonic semiconductive material has been proved to be an efficient tool to detect trace of substances, while the relatively weak plasmon resonance compared with noble metal materials restricts its practical application. Herein, for the first time a facile method to fabricate amorphous HxMoO3 quantum dots with tunable plasmon resonance is developed by a controlled oxidization route. The as‐prepared amorphous HxMoO3 quantum dots show tunable plasmon resonance in the region of visible and near‐infrared light. Moreover, the tunability induced by SC CO2 is analyzed by a molecule kinetic theory combined with a molecular thermodynamic model. More importantly, the ultrahigh enhancement factor of amorphous HxMoO3 quantum dots detecting on methyl blue can be up to 9.5 × 105 with expending the limit of detection to 10−9 m. Such a remarkable porperty can also be found in this HxMoO3‐based sensor with Rh6G and RhB as probe molecules, suggesting that the amorphous HxMoO3 quantum dot is an efficient candidate for SERS on molecule detection in high precision.
Group 4 Complexes Bearing Pyrrolide Ligand for Intramolecular Alkene Hydroamination and Activation of C≡N Bond
Authors: Jiang Zhilei , Wang Yalan , Liu Wei , Li Yahong
Published: June 2018

Titanium and zirconium complexes supported by a pyrrolide ligand HL1 [HL1 = 2‐cyano‐1H‐pyrrole], Ti2(L2)2(NMe2)2 (1) and Zr3(L2)3(NMe2)6 (2) [L2 = N,N‐dimethyl‐1H‐pyrrol‐2‐carboximidamide, NMe2‐L1] were synthesized and characterized. The ligand L2 was generated by activation of C≡N bond of HL1 with HNMe2. In complex 1, two TiIV atoms are bridged by two nitrogen atoms. There are three characteristic ZrIV ions in 2, which are six‐, seven‐ and six‐coordinate, respectively. They were tested as catalysts for the intramolecular hydroamination of aminoalkenes, and the respective N‐heterocycles were afforded in 74–99 % yields. Moreover, the formation of L2 ligand indicates that the amination of C≡N bond can be considered as a new and rapid way to synthesize other C–N bonds.
A Pentanuclear Cobalt Complex with two [CoII(CH3O)3]– Units Wrapping a Triangular [CoIII3O]7+ Core: Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Properties
Authors: Yang Hua , Li Ruiling , Li Dacheng , Zeng Suyuan , Dou Jianmin
Published: June 2018

The reaction of Hppko (Hppko = phenyl 2‐pyridyl ketone oxime) and CoCl2·6H2O in the CH3OH solvent with the presence of triethylamine (NEt3) at room temperature and the exposure to air resulted in the formation of a new pentanuclear, mixed‐valence cobalt complex with the molecular formula [{CoII(CH3O)3}2{CoIII3(μ3‐O)(ppko)3}Cl2]. X‐ray single crystal analysis displays a trigonal bipyramid configuration with the terminal two CoII ions wrapping an triangle [CoIII3O]7+ core. The intermolecular C–H···O and C–H···Cl interactions form a 2D network framework. The analysis of magnetic susceptibility revealed the dominant antiferromagnetic interactions and strong orbital contribution of CoII ions.
No-go theorems for ekpyrosis from ten-dimensional supergravity
Authors: Uzawa Kunihito
Published: June 2018

Abstract

In this note we investigate whether the new ekpyrotic scenario can be embedded into ten-dimensional supergravity. We use that the scalar potential obtained from flux compactifications of type II supergravity with sources has a universal scaling with respect to the dilaton and the volume mode. Similar to the investigation of inflationary models, we find very strong constraints ruling out ekpyrosis from analysing the fast-roll conditions. We conclude that flux compactifications tend to provide potentials that are neither too flat and positive (inflation) nor too steep and negative (ekpyrosis).
Natural SUSY at LHC with right-sneutrino LSP
Authors: Chatterjee Arindam , Dutta Juhi , Rai Santosh Kumar
Published: June 2018

Abstract

We study an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) with additional right-handed singlet neutrino superfields. While such an extension incorporates a mechanism for the neutrino mass, it also opens up the possibility of having the right-sneutrinos ($$ \tilde{\nu} $$ν˜) as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). In this work, we focus on the viability of rather small (≲500 GeV) higgsino mass parameter (μ), an important ingredient for “naturalness”, in the presence of such a LSP. For simplicity, we assume that the bino and wino mass parameters are much heavier; thus we only consider (almost) pure and compressed higgsino-like states, with small$$ \mathcal{O}\left(1{0}^{-2}\right) $$O10−2gaugino admixture which nevertheless still affect the decay of the low-lying higgsino-like states, thus significantly affecting the proposed signatures at colliders. Considering only prompt decays of the higgino-like states, especially the lightest chargino, we discuss the importance of leptonic channels consisting of up to two leptons with large missing transverse energy to probe this scenario at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In addition we also comment on the dark matter predictions for the studied scenario.
Coulomb branches with complex singularities
Authors: Argyres Philip C. , Martone Mario
Published: June 2018

Abstract

We construct 4d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) whose Coulomb branches have singular complex structures. This implies, in particular, that their Coulomb branch coordinate rings are not freely generated. Our construction also gives examples of distinct SCFTs which have identical moduli space (Coulomb, Higgs, and mixed branch) geometries. These SCFTs thus provide an interesting arena in which to test the relationship between moduli space geometries and conformal field theory data.

We construct these SCFTs by gauging certain discrete global symmetries of

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 superYang-Mills (sYM) theories. In the simplest cases, these discrete symmetries are outer automorphisms of the sYM gauge group, and so these theories have lagrangian descriptions as

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 sYM theories with disconnected gauge groups.
Constraining axion-like-particles with hard X-ray emission from magnetars
Authors: Fortin Jean-François , Sinha Kuver
Published: June 2018

Abstract

Axion-like particles (ALPs) produced in the core of a magnetar will convert to photons in the magnetosphere, leading to possible signatures in the hard X-ray band. We perform a detailed calculation of the ALP-to-photon conversion probability in the magnetosphere, recasting the coupled differential equations that describe ALP-photon propagation into a form that is efficient for large scale numerical scans. We show the dependence of the conversion probability on the ALP energy, mass, ALP-photon coupling, magnetar radius, surface magnetic field, and the angle between the magnetic field and direction of propagation. Along the way, we develop an analytic formalism to perform similar calculations in more general n-state oscillation systems. Assuming ALP emission rates from the core that are just subdominant to neutrino emission, we calculate the resulting constraints on the ALP mass versus ALP-photon coupling space, taking SGR 1806-20 as an example. In particular, we take benchmark values for the magnetar radius and core temperature, and constrain the ALP parameter space by the requirement that the luminosity from ALP-to-photon conversion should not exceed the total observed luminosity from the magnetar. The resulting constraints are competitive with constraints from helioscope experiments in the relevant part of ALP parameter space.
Indirect probe of electroweakly interacting particles at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider
Authors: Matsumoto Shigeki , Shirai Satoshi , Takeuchi Michihisa
Published: June 2018

Abstract

Many extensions of the standard model (SM) involve new massive particles charged under the electroweak gauge symmetry. The electroweakly interacting new particles affect various SM processes through radiative corrections. We discuss the possibility of detecting such new particles based on the precise measurement of the SM processes at high energy hadron colliders. It then turns out that Drell-Yan processes receive radiative corrections from the electroweakly interacting particles at the level of

$$ \mathcal{O}\left(0.1-10\right)\% $$

O

0.1
−
10

%

. It is hence possible to indirectly search for the Higgsino up to the mass of 400 GeV and the quintet (5-plet) Majorana fermion up to the mass of 1200 GeV at the high-luminosity running of the Large Hadron Collider, if the systematic uncertainty associated with the estimation of the SM background becomes lower than the statistical one.
Positive gravitational subsystem energies from CFT cone relative entropies
Authors: Neuenfeld Dominik , Saraswat Krishan , Van Raamsdonk Mark
Published: June 2018

Abstract

The positivity of relative entropy for spatial subsystems in a holographic CFT implies the positivity of certain quantities in the dual gravitational theory. In this note, we consider CFT subsystems whose boundaries lie on the lightcone of a point p. We show that the positive gravitational quantity which corresponds to the relative entropy for such a subsystem A is a novel notion of energy associated with a gravitational subsystem bounded by the minimal area extremal surface Ã associated with A and by the AdS boundary region Â corresponding to the part of the lightcone from p bounded by ∂A. This generalizes the results of arXiv:1605.01075 for ball-shaped regions by making use of the recent results in arXiv:1703.10656 for the vacuum modular Hamiltonian of regions bounded on lightcones. As part of our analysis, we give an analytic expression for the extremal surface in pure AdS associated with any such region A. We note that its form immediately implies the Markov property of the CFT vacuum (saturation of strong subadditivity) for regions bounded on the same lightcone. This gives a holographic proof of the result proven for general CFTs in arXiv:1703.10656. A similar holographic proof shows the Markov property for regions bounded on a lightsheet for non-conformal holographic theories defined by relevant perturbations of a CFT.
AdS-phobia, the WGC, the Standard Model and Supersymmetry
Authors: Gonzalo Eduardo , Herráez Alvaro , Ibáñez Luis E.
Published: June 2018

Abstract

It has been recently argued that an embedding of the SM into a consistent theory of quantum gravity may imply important constraints on the mass of the lightest neutrino and the cosmological constant Λ4. The constraints come from imposing the absence of any non-SUSY AdS stable vacua obtained from any consistent compactification of the SM to 3 or 2 dimensions. This condition comes as a corollary of a recent extension of the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) by Ooguri and Vafa. In this paper we study T
2
/Z

N
compactifications of the SM to two dimensions in which SM Wilson lines are projected out, leading to a considerable simplification. We analyze in detail a T
2
/Z
4 compactification of the SM in which both complex structure and Wilson line scalars are fixed and the potential is only a function of the area of the torus a
2. We find that the SM is not robust against the appearance of AdS vacua in 2D and hence would be by itself inconsistent with quantum gravity. On the contrary, if the SM is embedded at some scale M

SS
into a SUSY version like the MSSM, the AdS vacua present in the non-SUSY case disappear or become unstable. This means that WGC arguments favor a SUSY version of the SM, independently of the usual hierarchy problem arguments. In a T
2
/Z
4 compactification in which the orbifold action is embedded into the B − L symmetry the bounds on neutrino masses and the cosmological constant are recovered. This suggests that the MSSM should be extended with a U(1)
B−L
gauge group. In other families of vacua the spectrum of SUSY particles is further constrained in order to avoid the appearance of new AdS vacua or instabilities. We discuss a possible understanding of the little hierarchy problem in this context.
Crohn’s disease-specific mortality: a 30-year cohort study at a tertiary referral center in Japan
Authors: Yasukawa Shigeyoshi , Matsui Toshiyuki , Yano Yutaka , Sato Yuho , Takada Yasumichi , Kishi Masahiro , Ono Yoichiro , Takatsu Noritaka , Nagahama Takashi , Hisabe Takashi , Hirai Fumihito , Yao Kenshi , Ueki Toshiharu , Higashi Daijiro , Futami Kitaro , Sou Suketo , Sakurai Toshihiro , Yao Tsuneyoshi , Tanabe Hiroshi , Iwashita Akinori , Washio Masakazu
Published: June 2018

Background

In this study, survival and cause of death were investigated in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) at a tertiary referral center.

Methods

A database was created based on the medical records of 1108 CD patients who had a history of visiting our hospital to investigate background characteristics, cumulative survival rates from diagnosis, causes of death, and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for each cause of death. A follow-up questionnaire survey of patients followed up inadequately was also conducted. The cumulative survival rate from diagnosis was determined using the life table method and compared with that of a sex- and age-matched population model from the year 2000.

Results

The study included 1108 patients whose mean age at diagnosis was 25.6 ± 10.8 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 14.6 ± 9.4 years, and there were 52 deaths. The cumulative survival rate was significantly lower 25 years after the diagnosis of CD (91.7%) than in the standard population model (95.7%). SMRs for both all causes [3.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7–4.6] and CD-specific causes (36.7; 95% CI 26.1–51.6) were high. Among the CD-specific causes, SMRs were especially high for small intestine and colorectal cancers, gastrointestinal diseases including intestinal failure (IF), perioperative complications, and amyloidosis.

Conclusion

The SMRs for both all causes and CD-specific causes were high in CD patients. CD-specific causes including intestinal cancer, IF, perioperative complications, and amyloidosis showed especially high SMRs.
Excessive flower production as an anti‐predator strategy: when is random flower abortion favored?
Authors: Ezoe Hideo
Published: June 2018

Many plant species produce excessive flowers but abandon most of them halfway to maturation. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain adaptive significances of this behavior. To understand this phenomenon, I developed a resource allocation model between flower and fruit/seed production to examine a new hypothesis that excessive flower production is favored to “dilute” predation pressures in plant–pre‐dispersal seed predator systems. First, I compared the efficiencies of three abortion strategies: (1) no abortions: the plant matures all pollinated flowers; (2) selective abortions: the plant aborts all flowers oviposited by predators and only intact flowers mature; (3) random abortions: the plant indiscriminately aborts a fraction of the pollinated flowers irrespective of seed‐predator oviposition. I assumed that the timing of selective abortions was later than that of random abortions owing to delays in response to feeding damage (the cost of selective abortion). I showed that the reproductive efficiencies of the random‐abortion and selective‐abortion strategies were much higher than that of the no‐abortion strategy when resources were poor, predators were abundant, and the cost of flower production was low. In addition, the reproductive efficiency of the random‐abortion strategy was greater than that of the selective‐abortion strategy when the cost of selective abortion was high. Second, I examined a mixed‐abortion strategy in which plants aborted flowers randomly earlier and selectively later. The proportion of random abortions increased as the amount of resources decreased, density of seed predators increased, flower production cost decreased, and cost of selective abortion increased.
Comparison of personality between juveniles and adults in clonal gecko species
Authors: Sakai Osamu
Published: June 2018

The developmental perspectives of animal personality enhance our understanding of how personality structure changes in relation to life stage. Clonal animals are ideal models for developmental studies because personality differences can be solely attributed to environmental factors. Here, I investigated the presence of personality within a species of clonal gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, at different developmental stages. For juveniles and adult geckos, I measured exploration (reaction to a novel situation) and boldness (risk-prone tendency) and evaluated repeatability and correlation of these behavioural traits. Each gecko exhibited different exploration and boldness with significant repeatability through time but no correlation between these behavioural traits. Small juveniles were composed of only bold and low explorative individuals but large juveniles and adults were composed of various personality type individuals. These results demonstrate that subject geckos have a similar personality structure across life stages and that exploration and boldness are independent personality without forming behavioural syndrome structure. Biased composition of personality type between life stages suggests that appearance of different personality type individuals during an early ontogenetic stage generates personality variation within the clonal population. This study provides developmental insight about personality structure and its composition in clonal animals living in the wild.
Factors affecting innovation and imitation of ICT in the agrifood sector
Authors: Petridis Nikolaos E. , Digkas Georgios , Anastasakis Leonidas
Published: June 2018

Diffusion of innovations has gained a lot of attention and concerns different scientific fields. Many studies, which examine the determining factors of technological innovations in the agricultural and agrifood sector, have been conducted using the widely used Technology Accepted Model, for a random sample of farmers or firms engaged in agricultural sector. In the present study, a holistic examination of the determining factors that affect the propensity of firms to innovate or imitate, is conducted. The diffusion of ICT tools of firms which are engaged in the NACE 02/03 as well as in the NACE 10/11 classifications for 49 heterogeneous national markets is examined, using the Bass model. The innovation parameter is positively associated with rural income, female employment, export activity and education of farmers, while the imitation parameter is increased in countries whose societies are characterized by uncertainty avoidance.