bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
أساليب تقديم المحتوى في المواقع الإلكترونية الإخبارية الناشرة بالعربية وتقييم خدماتها
(بي بي سي عربي وسي أن أن بالعربية نموذجاً)
Authors: Kchour Amal , Bachir Imad
Published: April 2017

تحتل تقنية "قابلية الاستخدام" (Usability) حيزاً واضحاً في إطار تقييم المواقع الالكترونية ومن ضمنها المواقع الإخبارية ومواقع خدمات المعلومات. تهدف هذه الدراسة الى التعرف على الأساليب التي تتبعها المواقع الإخبارية الناشرة باللغة العربية لنواحي تصنيفها للمادة الإعلامية، وأساليب عرضها. وتبيان طرق الوصول الى المحتوى الرقمي في هذه المواقع وتفحص الخدمات الإعلامية المتوافرة من خلالها. كما، تُقيّم الدراسة المواقع انطلاقا من معايير "قابلية الإستخدام".

تتشكل عينة الدراسة من موقعين اخباريين تابعان لمؤسسات إعلامية تقع في إطار شبكات الإعلام العالمية. وهما موقع "سي ان ان بالعربية" و "بي بي سي العربي". اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي من خلال استمارة تقييم مؤلفة من قسمين. يحتوي القسم الأول منها على مجموعة من المعايير والمبادئ المبنية على قواعد "قابلية الاستخدام"، بينما يتضمن القسم الثاني مجموعة من العناصر المعنية بتقييم أسلوب تقديم المحتوى. ومن أجل قياس درجة قوة العناصر المقيمة وضعفها في هذين الموقعين اعتمدت الدراسة على جدول نيلسن ويسمى "تصنيف قوة قابلية الاستخدام وعمقها". كما اعتمدت الدراسة على الملاحظة المحدّدة والمباشرة لتفحص المحتوى الإعلامي للمواقع الإخبارية بهدف التعرّف على المواد الإعلامية المنشورة فيها لنواحي عددها، تصنيفها ومصادرها خلال فترتين في أشهر متباعدة من العام 2012، وفترة ثالثة من العام 2013.

وتبين من خلال تفحص مدى قوة وعمق قابلية الاستخدام في المواقع الإخبارية موضوع الدراسة تلتزم الى حدّ كبير بالمعايير الخاصة بقابلية الاستخدام لناحيتي الشكل والتصميم في المظهر العام للموقع. في حين انها تعاني من عيوب في توفير الوصول الى المعلومات والبحث فيها واسترجاعها. فهي لا تتيح خيارات متعددة للبحث مما يعيق استرجاع المعلومات. ويظهر الخلل في التصنيف لدى هذه المواقع لناحية عدم التزامها بأسس واضحة في التصنيف وعدم اعتمادها على منهجية موحدة في كافة اقسام الموقع. ويتبين لنا خلال فترة الدراسة التحديث الدائم للمواقع عن طريق ادخال خدمات وأقسام جديدة. تعرض الدراسة عدداً من الخطوط الإرشادية التي يجب اعتمادها كقواعد مقترحة لتقييم المواقع الإخبارية الناشرة باللغة العربية لناحية "قابلية الاستخدام".
Public policies and cities: How to balance sustainability and inclusiveness?
Authors: Tok Mohamed Evren
Published: April 2017

Sustainable Development Goal # 11 (SDG # 11) has been a significant push for the global agenda to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This paper will aim at focusing on the first and last components of SDG # 11 and try to explain how cities can balance both with right public policies. The reason why these two components are selected to discuss is that usually policy makers have historically seen them as two conflicting objectives. For instance, policies to create more public spaces such as parks, recreation areas, etc. in cities have been highly objected by developers and the private sector in general due to their low or almost zero revenue-generating potential. Then, are public policies towards cities doomed to fail in terms of bridging sustainability and inclusivity? Does it mean that cities are left with no choice to create winners and losers? What are the prospects for SDG # 11 if this inherent dilemma is not resolved? The paper will try to address these questions and conclude.
Climate change is just the tip of the iceberg!
Authors: Richardson Katherine
Published: April 2017

Much political and scientific focus has been on climate change in recent years. What is really unique about climate change, however, is that it has reminded us that there are limits to how much environmental change humans can induce without undermining the basis of our existence and triggered an understanding that local and regional environmental management is not enough. Climate change has taught us that we also need to develop mechanisms for management of resources at the global level. How might this management take place? How would it interact with local and regional management initiatives and what activities in addition to greenhouse gas emissions need to be constrained? The concept of “Planetary Boundaries” has been proposed as a possible framework for developing management of global resources. This framework argues that climate and biodiversity are the two “core” boundaries that must be respected to minimize the risk of human activities leading ultimately to a change in the state of the Earth System. Seven other Earth System processes that all are heavily impacted by human activities are identified. Common to these is the fact that their role in maintaining Earth System state operates through changes in climate and/or biodiversity. In this talk, the framework is presented and discussed in relation to local and regional environmental management initiatives.
Dynamics (seasonal and intra-diurnal) of air-borne fungal spore population of Doha area, Qatar
Authors: Fayad Raghda K. , Abu-Dieyeh Mohammed H.
Published: April 2017

The availability and dynamics of airborne fungal spores in the atmosphere are strongly influenced by the meteorological parameters and by other factors such as air pollutants. The aim of this study was to update the knowledge about the seasonal and diurnal variations in airborne fungal spores of Doha area and to correlate these variations with meteorological factors, and to investigate the influence of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and different culture media on the availability of fungal spores. From 106 settle plate exposures (on alternative days) throughout the period April 2015-March 2016, a total of 1197 mould- and 283 yeast colony-forming units (CFU), twenty one genera and 62 species were retrieved. The highest fungal spore's concentration was recorded in February 2016, whereas the lowest concentration occurred in August 2015. The main constituents of the fungal airspora were attributed to Cladosporium (60.2%), Aspergillus (10.4%), Fusarium (9.4%), Alternaria (8.5%), and Ganoderma spp. (2.3%). Cladosporium showed two peaks in April and February, while Fusarium and Alteranria peaked in July. Aspirgillus had one peak in August. The prevalence of Ganoderma spp. were exclusively detected in February and March. Temperature was significantly and negatively correlated with the total colony count and fungal species, however no significant correlation was found between relative humidity and both the total colony count and fungal species. Wind speed was significantly and positively correlated with the total colony count and fungal species. The correlation between rainfalls and either total colony count or fungal species was non-significant. Intra-diurnal fluctuations of fungal spores was investigated during the period of 1st of Feb – 31st of March 2016. The highest dispersal of fungal spores favored 18:00 h, whereas at 00:00 h (midnight) the lowest fungal spores release was recorded. No significant difference was observed in total number of fungal colonies or species collected with the two media Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Rose Bengal media. Nevertheless, certain fungal taxa were highly selective and thus their growth rate was on one media much higher than with another. There were no significant differences in the composition and diversity of the airborne fungal population between two different study sites under the influence of atmospheric CO2 concentration, though daily concentration of CO2 was higher at the Industrial area site than at Qatar University Campus. Remarkably, the concentrations of Alternaria spp. and Fusarium spp. were significantly higher at Industrial area site in corresponding to CO2 than at Qatar University site.
Establishment of an efficient protocol for rooting and acclimatization of two Qatari date palm cultivars Shishi and Lulu
Authors: Sidky Rehab , AL-Salahi Muna , Al-Mahmoud Amel
Published: April 2017

This study aimed to establish a new protocol for in vitro rooting and acclimatization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in different cultivars “Shishi and Lulu”. In order to increase growth and achieve a higher survival rate of plantlets through the acclimatization stage. The plantlets of the two cultivars were cultured in media in three successive steps (each of 6 weeks). In First and second steps kinetin and malt extract were tested to optimize the quality of plantlets in the presence of α-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Third step were cultured plantlets onto liquid media with poly ethylene glycol. The obtained results showed that, plantlets grown on malt extract at 750 mg/l had wider and greener leaves 0.81, 0.74 mm and encouraged the adventitious roots number per plantlet 6.88, 6.10 in Shishi and lulu cultivars. Results demonstrated that the new established protocol is efficient in acclamation date palm. The highest survival rate was 98.66, 87.66 % of two cultivars at the acclimatization stage within a short period (3 month).
Global change impacts: How QNRF addresses those key scientific and societal issues
Authors: Freyssinet Philippe
Published: April 2017

Climate change, and more generally Global Change issues have become a major field of environmental research for now more than 20 years. It is also an important component of the Qatar National Research Strategy. Qatar is already strongly committed to develop a more sustainable economy and diversified economy, as clearly stated in the National 2030 Vision.

A large part of QNRF initiatives are aligned with those goals, as about 30 to 40% of the awarded projects by QNRF are dealing with sustainability topics. This covers in particular environmental issues, sustainable construction, low carbon energy technologies, renewable energies, risks related to regional climate change, CO2 emissions abatement technologies. QNRF addresses those scientific issues through its main collaborative research program NPRP, but also joined recently the Belmont Forum, a network of 25 funding agencies worldwide to support international calls on Global Change research.

Climate change may induces many changes on the environment in the Gulf region in the forthcoming decades. Those changes may induce ecological risks, but also risks for the health population and the infrastructures. How important are these risks? Do they cumulate?

If Global climate change scenarios are consistent, there is still a lot of uncertainty about climate change scenarios in the Gulf region, compared to other regions which are well documented such as the Mediterranean region or Northern Europe. Modeling of climate change at regional scale is a key issue to better define decadal trends, prevent extreme events or the impact on marine life.

On another hand, R&D priority themes also focus on strengthening the national expertise to support the definition of mitigation strategies at governmental level.
Waste management and climate change mitigation
Authors: Hasan Syed E
Published: April 2017

Waste management has been identified as a viable option for mitigation of climate change (IPCC, 2007; UBA; 2011). This presentation surmises that buildup of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to alarming level–corresponding to CO2 concentration in excess of 400 ppm–would not have occurred if we had prevented release of environmental pollutants by managing the waste in an effective manner. As a society, we failed to manage our waste in an environmentally-safe way, which first resulted in causing pollution of land and water, followed by air. Even after becoming aware of the severity of land and water degradation around the middle of the 20th century, atmospheric pollution remained ignored because the turbulence in the troposphere quickly and effectively dispersed the polluting emissions, making it temporarily invisible. This out-of-sight-out-of-mind thinking led to the slow but sure accumulation of harmful substances in the atmosphere to the point that its natural self-regulating ability got compromised resulting in heating of atmosphere, causing global warming and the ensuing climate change. Currently humanity is at an unprecedented juncture in its history, facing the critical issue of climate change that calls for concerted global effort to tackle global warming. While many of the suggested measures require large investment of capital and would take long time to achieve desired results, solid waste management to increase recycling, capture methane, minimize pollution; and simple steps to conserve water and energy resources, are measures that can be easily adopted. Combating climate change calls for strong political will and involvement of each individual. Recent events of 22 April, 2016 (USA Today, 2016) when 175 countries pledged to adopt recommendations of the Paris Agreement (UN, 2015), and the historic Kigali event of 15 October, 2016 (USEPA, 2016) where nearly 200 nations agreed to phase out/eliminate hydrofluorocarbons, are positive affirmation of the international community's will to move forward as global citizens of our home—the Earth. The presentation explains simple, common sense strategies to minimize the severity of climate change impacts, and the role citizens can play in accomplishing it. Importance of proper management of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste emissions in pollution abatement and climate change mitigation are highlighted in the presentation. Details of how proper waste management can cut down GHGs emissions, thus contributing to mitigation efforts, are discussed in the presentation.
Climate change, the Anthropocene and planetary boundaries
Authors: Steffen Will
Published: April 2017

Climate change is often called humanity's biggest challenge of the 21st century, especially following on from the ambitious targets of the Paris climate summit. But climate change is a part of something bigger – the advent of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. This talk will focus on climate change in the context of the Anthropocene, taking a longer term perspective on the trajectory of the climate system in the Anthropocene. In particular, the talk will explore the magnitude and rate of contemporary climate change compared to previous shifts in the climate system over the past several million years, and will use this knowledge to project the potential trajectory of the climate system over the next century or two. Finally, the planetary boundaries framework will be introduced as a useful tool to guide further human development towards sustainability, as defined as a safe operating space of the Earth System.
برامج الأرشيفات الوطنية للتدريب على إدارة الوثائق الإلكترونية: الأرشيف الوطني الأمريكي أنموذجا
Authors: صلاح الصاوي السيد
Published: April 2017

شرعت دول عديدة في تبنى سياسات وتطبيقات للحكومة الإلكترونية سعياً منها لتيسير وتطوير الخدمات المقدمة للجمهور. وفي إطار ذلك، تلتزم مؤسسات الدولة ومنظماتها بوضع “برنامج تدريب مستمر” لموظفيها لتزويدهم بالمعارف والمهارات الكافية لمتطلبات وممارسات إدارة الوثائق الإلكترونية. وفي الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، يوفر برنامج الأرشيف الوطني للتدريب على إدارة الوثائق الفيدرالية تعليمات شاملة وفعالة لإدارة الوثائق من قبل موظفي الدولة باستخدام مجموعة متنوعة من الأدوات والتقنيات لتيسير إتاحة الوثائق الفيدرالية، وحماية الحقوق القانونية. تهدف هذه الدراسة الى توثيق تجربة الأرشيف الوطني الأمريكي “نارا” NARA في مجال التدريب على إدارة الوثائق الإلكترونية (أهداف البرنامج، وموضوعاته، وأماكن التدريب، والأدوات والتقنيات المستخدمة،....). كما تعرض الدراسة لأنواع ومحتوى البرامج التدريبية الخاصة بإدارة الوثائق في أرشيفات وطنية أخرى، أجنبية وعربية (المملكة المتحدة، استراليا، اليابان، الهند، مصر، العراق، سلطنة عمان، تونس) بهدف إثراء النتائج المستخلصة من الدراسة والتي يمكن أن تفيد الأرشيفات الوطنية العربية في تخطيط وتطوير برامج تدريب مستمر لأخصائي الوثائق الإدارية والإلكترونية.
العلاقة بين جودة الخدمات المكتبية ومؤشرات تأثير المكتبات وفق مواصفتي الآيزو 16439، و 9001:2015 مكتبة الجامعة الأردنية - دراسة حالة
Authors: علاونة أفنان , حمارشة أماني
Published: April 2017

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى قياس لأي مدى يؤدي تطبيق مواصفة الآيزو 9001:2015، على الخدمات الإدارية للتحسين من مستوى جودتها على مؤشرات تأثير المكتبات الجامعية والتي يتم قياسها عن طريق مواصفة الآيزو رقم 16439، لتأثير المكتبات. وسيتم من خلال هذه المواصفة التركيز على أساليب قياس هذه التأثيرات، بهدف التخطيط الاستراتيجي وإدارة الجودة الداخلية للمكتبات، وتساهم هذه المواصفة بتسهيل المقارنة بين المكتبات من نفس النوع (عامة، أكاديمية، مدرسية...إلخ) من حيث التأثير الذي تحدثه في مجتمع المعرفة، حيث تهدف هذه المقارنات إلى تعزيز دور المكتبات وقيمتها في مجال التعليم والبحث العلمي، بالإضافة للجانب الثقافي والحياة الاجتماعية والاقتصادية.

تتبنى الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، لجمع البيانات وتحليلها لدراسة مؤشرات تأثير المكتبات الجامعية الأردنية في الجامعات الحكومية ومدى تطبيق معايير آيزو 9001، وقياس التأثير الذي أحدثه الاستخدام للمكتبة وذلك حسب مؤشرات المواصفة آيزو 16439: مؤشرات تأثير المكتبات.
Striation and slickenline development on quartz fault surfaces at crustal conditions: Origin and effect on friction
Authors: Toy Virginia G. , Niemeijer André , Renard Francois , Morales Luiz , Wirth Richard
Published: April 2017

Fragments of optically flat silica discs embedded in synthetic gouge were deformed to examine the relationship between the development of striations and slickenlines, and deformation mechanisms, conditions, and fault rheology. Experiments were performed under hydrothermal conditions in a rotary shear apparatus at 100°C or 450°C, to shear strains of 2.02 < γ < 8.25. Slip hardening and softening prevail at low and high temperatures, respectively. In recovered samples, disc fragment surfaces are decorated by fine gouge, sometimes arranged in trails, pits, and scratch marks. Prominent grooves—inferred slickenlines—with constant orientation, wavelength <10 μm, and amplitude <0.7 μm are only observed on disc fragments deformed at 450°C. Some parts of the grooves below the original disc fragment surface contain scattered rounded beads of silica ~200 nm diameter. Conversely, close examination of pits in 100°C experiments reveals they contain angular particles <2 μm diameter. The 200 nm diameter crystalline quartz can precipitate at 450°C in only 250 s, well within the time frame of the experiments but precipitation at 100°C would take at least 8 years. No systematic dislocation arrays were observed in the quartz disc fragments, but microfractures are sporadically present. This indicates that at both temperatures brittle failure generated microfractures and microcomminution occurred where gouge particles impacted disc fragment surfaces. These observations suggest formation of silica beads by precipitation from amorphous silica facilitates slip weakening, smoothing of the fault surface parallel to the slip vector, development of undulations perpendicular to the slip vector by a pressure solution creep mechanism, weakening, and maintenance of a constant slip direction.
Extensive electron transport and energization via multiple, localized dipolarizing flux bundles
Authors: Gabrielse Christine , Angelopoulos Vassilis , Harris Camilla , Artemyev Anton , Kepko Larry , Runov Andrei
Published: April 2017

Using an analytical model of multiple dipolarizing flux bundles (DFBs) embedded in earthward traveling bursty bulk flows, we demonstrate how equatorially mirroring electrons can travel long distances and gain hundreds of keV from betatron acceleration. The model parameters are constrained by four Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms satellite observations, putting limits on the DFBs' speed, location, and magnetic and electric field magnitudes. We find that the sharp, localized peaks in magnetic field have such strong spatial gradients that energetic electrons ∇B drift in closed paths around the peaks as those peaks travel earthward. This is understood in terms of the third adiabatic invariant, which remains constant when the field changes on timescales longer than the electron's drift timescale: An energetic electron encircles a sharp peak in magnetic field in a closed path subtending an area of approximately constant flux. As the flux bundle magnetic field increases the electron's drift path area shrinks and the electron is prevented from escaping to the ambient plasma sheet, while it continues to gain energy via betatron acceleration. When the flux bundles arrive at and merge with the inner magnetosphere, where the background field is strong, the electrons suddenly gain access to previously closed drift paths around the Earth. DFBs are therefore instrumental in transporting and energizing energetic electrons over long distances along the magnetotail, bringing them to the inner magnetosphere and energizing them by hundreds of keV.
The leap in the dark: Geological thoughts about an unpredictable planet
Authors: Todesco M.
Published: April 2017

We live on a dynamic planet that changes continuously. Most of the times, we are unaware of its restless motion, so slow that only satellites capture it. But the calm is only apparent, and we appreciate the entire magnitude of the forces at play when natural disasters strike. Earth Science explores how and when the quiet breaks, but we do not have access to the interior of the planet. We rely on indirect information to constrain complex processes that we cannot observe or reproduce in our laboratories. As a result, our knowledge is incomplete and our assessments are burden with unavoidable uncertainty. Should we not talk about it?
Can beaches survive climate change?
Authors: Vitousek Sean , Barnard Patrick L. , Limber Patrick
Published: April 2017

Anthropogenic climate change is driving sea level rise, leading to numerous impacts on the coastal zone, such as increased coastal flooding, beach erosion, cliff failure, saltwater intrusion in aquifers, and groundwater inundation. Many beaches around the world are currently experiencing chronic erosion as a result of gradual, present‐day rates of sea level rise (about 3 mm/year) and human‐driven restrictions in sand supply (e.g., harbor dredging and river damming). Accelerated sea level rise threatens to worsen coastal erosion and challenge the very existence of natural beaches throughout the world. Understanding and predicting the rates of sea level rise and coastal erosion depends on integrating data on natural systems with computer simulations. Although many computer modeling approaches are available to simulate shoreline change, few are capable of making reliable long‐term predictions needed for full adaption or to enhance resilience. Recent advancements have allowed convincing decadal to centennial‐scale predictions of shoreline evolution. For example, along 500 km of the Southern California coast, a new model featuring data assimilation predicts that up to 67% of beaches may completely erode by 2100 without large‐scale human interventions. In spite of recent advancements, coastal evolution models must continue to improve in their theoretical framework, quantification of accuracy and uncertainty, computational efficiency, predictive capability, and integration with observed data, in order to meet the scientific and engineering challenges produced by a changing climate.
Large‐Area 2D Layered MoTe2 by Physical Vapor Deposition and Solid‐Phase Crystallization in a Tellurium‐Free Atmosphere
Authors: Huang Jyun‐Hong , Deng Kuang‐Ying , Liu Pang‐Shiuan , Wu Chien‐Ting , Chou Cheng‐Tung , Chang Wen‐Hao , Lee Yao‐Jen , Hou Tuo‐Hung
Published: April 2017

Molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) has attracted considerable interest for nanoelectronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and valleytronic applications because of its modest band gap, high field‐effect mobility, large spin–orbit‐coupling splitting, and tunable 1T′/2H phases. However, synthesizing large‐area, high‐quality MoTe2 remains challenging. The complicated design of gas‐phase reactant transport and reaction for chemical vapor deposition or tellurization is nontrivial because of the weak bonding energy between Mo and Te. This study reports a new method for depositing MoTe2 that entails using physical vapor deposition followed by a postannealing process in a Te‐free atmosphere. Both Mo and Te are physically deposited onto the substrate by sputtering a MoTe2 target. A composite SiO2 capping layer is designed to prevent Te sublimation during the postannealing process. The postannealing process facilitates 1T′‐to‐2H phase transition and solid‐phase crystallization, leading to the formation of high‐crystallinity few‐layer 2H‐MoTe2 with a field‐effect mobility of ≈10 cm2 V−1 s−1, the highest among all nonexfoliated 2H‐MoTe2 currently reported. Furthermore, 2H‐MoS2 and Td‐WTe2 can be deposited using similar methods. Requiring no transfer or chemical reaction of metal and chalcogen reactants in the gas phase, the proposed method is potentially a general yet simple approach for depositing a wide variety of large‐area, high‐quality, 2D layered structures.
3D Graphite–Polymer Flexible Strain Sensors with Ultrasensitivity and Durability for Real‐Time Human Vital Sign Monitoring and Musical Instrument Education
Authors: Li Weigu , Guo Jianhe , Fan Donglei
Published: April 2017

The design and fabrication of various types of flexible, portable, and foldable devices have received immense interest owing to the remarkable potential in impacting peoples' lives including real‐time health monitoring, point‐of‐care diagnosis, and athletic training. In this work, the authors present 3D graphite as the key sensing element of polymer composite strain sensors that offers ultrahigh sensitivity and durability in the detection of fine motions. The graphite–polymer sensors in this work provide high bending sensitivities that are reproducible within 3% signal shift after 11 000 bending cycles and exhibit gauge factors of 100 and 52 at tensile strains of 80% and 100%, respectively. The sensing mechanism is modeled, and correlated with experimental studies. The high strain sensitivity compared to graphene based devices is analyzed and understood with respect to levels of defect in materials. Such graphite–polymer sensors are able to detect fine features of human pulses, respiration rates, and throat vibration in real time and are also applied in the detection of posture correctness of musical instrument learners for the first time.
Aluminum Nanoparticles with Hot Spots for Plasmon‐Induced Circular Dichroism of Chiral Molecules in the UV Spectral Interval
Authors: Besteiro Lucas V. , Zhang Hui , Plain Jérôme , Markovich Gil , Wang Zhiming , Govorov Alexander O.
Published: April 2017

Plasmonic nanocrystals with hot spots are able to localize optical energy in small spaces. In such physical systems, near‐field interactions between molecules and plasmons can become especially strong. This paper considers the case of a nanoparticle dimer and a chiral biomolecule. In this model, a chiral molecule is placed in the gap between two plasmonic nanoparticles, where the electromagnetic hot spot occurs. Since many important biomolecules have optical transitions in the UV spectral region, the case of aluminum nanoparticles is considered, as they offer strong electromagnetic enhancements in the blue and UV spectral intervals. The calculations in this study show that the complex composed of a chiral molecule and an Al dimer exhibits strong circular dichroism (CD) signals in the plasmonic spectral region. In contrast to the standard Au and Ag nanocrystals, the Al system may have a much better spectral overlap between the typical biomolecule's optical transitions and the nanocrystals' plasmonic band. Overall, it is found that Al nanocrystals used as CD antennas exhibit unique properties as compared to other commonly studied plasmonic and dielectric materials. The plasmonic systems investigated in this study can be potentially used for sensing chirality of biomolecules, which is of interest in applications such as drug development.
Effects of macromolecular configuration of thermally sensitive binder in lithium‐ion battery
Authors: Le Anh V. , Wang Meng , Noelle Daniel J. , Shi Yang , Yoon Hyojung , Zhang Minghao , Meng Y. Shirley , Qiao Yu
Published: April 2017

In order to suppress heat generation of nail‐penetrated lithium‐ion battery (LIB) cell, thermally sensitive binders (TSB) based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP) were investigated. The testing data showed that with appropriate treatment, TSB could efficiently reduce the peak temperature associated with internal shorting, and did not influence the cycling performance of LIB. The molecular weight of TSB was not a vital factor, while crosslinking was critical. This technology can be used to mitigate thermal runaway of LIB, enabling safe and robust large‐scale energy storage. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45078.
Potassium‐Promoted Molybdenum Carbide as a Highly Active and Selective Catalyst for CO2 Conversion to CO
Authors: Porosoff Marc D. , Baldwin Jeffrey W. , Peng Xi , Mpourmpakis Giannis , Willauer Heather D.
Published: April 2017

The high concentration of CO2 bound in seawater represents a significant opportunity to extract and use this CO2 as a C1 feedstock for synthetic fuels. Using an existing process, CO2 and H2 can be concurrently extracted from seawater and then catalytically reacted to produce synthetic fuel. Hydrogenating CO2 directly into liquid hydrocarbons is exceptionally difficult, but by first identifying a catalyst for selective CO production through the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction, CO can then be hydrogenated to fuel through Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis. Results of this study demonstrate that potassium‐promoted molybdenum carbide supported on γ‐Al2O3 (K‐Mo2C/γ‐Al2O3) is a low‐cost, stable, and highly selective catalyst for RWGS over a wide range of conversions. These findings are supported by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations.
Oxidative stability of chilled broiler breast meat as affected by dietary supplementation with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) powder and vitamin E
Authors: Rostami Hossein , Seidavi Alireza , Dadashbeiki Mohammad , Asadpour Yadollah , Simões João , Laudadio Vito , Milis Chrysostomos , Tufarelli Vincenzo
Published: April 2017

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) powder and vitamin E, as feed additives combined at different levels, on oxidative stability of broiler meat up to 14th day after chilling. A total of 270 1‐day‐old male chicks of Ross 308 strain were randomly assigned to nine dietary groups with three replicates having 10 birds each. Diets were supplemented with 0, 0.5, or 1.0% of rosemary (R) powder and 0, 100, or 200 mg/kg of vitamin E (alpha‐tocopherol acetate; VitE) according to the following treatments: T1 – control basal diet (0R + 0VitE); T2 – 0R + 100VitE; T3 – 0R + 200VitE; T4 – 0.5R + 0VitE; T5 – 0.5R + 100VitE; T6 – 0.5R + 200VitE; T7 – 1.0R + 0VitE; T8 – 1.0R + 100VitE; and T9 – 1.0R + 200VitE. At day 42, two birds of each replicate were slaughtered and the length and weight of cecum was recorded. Carcasses and their economically valuable parts were also weighted and broiler breast refrigerated at 4°C for 14 days. At day 0, 4, 7, and 14 of storage the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of breast meat was evaluated. After 4 days of storage, meat MDA contents of the T5 (0.43 mg/kg) and T9 (0.41 mg/kg) were lower than control group (T1: 0.55 mg/kg; p < .05). On day 7, groups supplemented with rosemary or VitE alone showed similar MDA contents (p > .05) than control. On day 14, lower (p < .05) MDA contents than T1 were observed in all groups except for broilers fed diet supplemented only with vitamin E. No effects were observed between treatments on the relative weight of the several carcass traits, however, VitE influenced (p < .05) the weight and size of cecum. Based on our findings, the combination of rosemary powder and vitamin E at different levels in diet is useful to limit the lipid oxidation of chilled chicken meat.
Improving myoblast differentiation on electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone) scaffolds
Authors: Abarzúa‐Illanes Phammela N. , Padilla Cristina , Ramos Andrea , Isaacs Mauricio , Ramos‐Grez Jorge , Olguín Hugo C. , Valenzuela Loreto M.
Published: April 2017

Polymer scaffolds are used as an alternative to support tissue regeneration when it does not occur on its own. Cell response on polymer scaffolds is determined by factors such as polymer composition, topology, and the presence of other molecules. We evaluated the cellular response of murine skeletal muscle myoblasts on aligned or unaligned fibers obtained by electrospinning poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), and blends with poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) or decorin, a proteoglycan known to regulate myogenesis. The results showed that aligned PCL fibers with higher content of PLGA promote cell growth and improve the quality of differentiation with PLGA scaffolds having the highest confluence at over 68% of coverage per field of view for myoblasts and more than 7% of coverage for myotubes. At the same time, the addition of decorin greatly improves the quantity and quality of differentiated cells in terms of cell fusion, myotube length and thickness, being 71, 10, and 51% greater than without the protein, respectively. Interestingly, our results suggest that at certain concentrations, the effect of decorin on myoblast differentiation exceeds the topological effect of fiber alignment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2241–2251, 2017.
Benzenesulfonic Acid: A Versatile Catalyst for the Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes as Antioxidants
Authors: Simha Pulla Reddy , Mangali Madhu Sekhar , Kuppireddy Gari Divya , Venkatapuram Padmavathi , Adivireddy Padmaja
Published: April 2017

The reaction of indoles with carbonyl compounds in the presence of 5 mol% benzenesulfonic acid in acetonitrile was performed to synthesize bis(indolyl)methane derivatives adopting conventional and ultrasonication methodologies. The reaction proceeded in shorter reaction time in ultrasonication methodology leading to high yield of the products. All the synthesized compounds were tested for antioxidant activity. Among all the tested compounds, 3k exhibited pronounced antioxidant activity.
THE SAFAVID THREAT AND JURISTIC AUTHORITY IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE DURING THE 16TH CENTURY
Authors: Atçıl Abdurrahman
Published: April 2017

This article investigates the opinions of three senior Ottoman jurists, Sarıgörez (d. 1522), Kemalpaşazade (d. 1534), and Ebussuud (d. 1574), on the subject of the Safavids and their supporters. Historians have treated these opinions as part of the vast polemical literature uniformly intended to justify an impending Ottoman attack against their Safavid rivals. Questioning the notion that all authors shared an undifferentiated attitude, this article underlines that, unlike most polemical literature, the opinions of these three jurists focused on the religiolegal aspects of the Safavid issue and varied and evolved in line with changing historical realities, the jurists’ divergent assessments of the Safavid threat, and their preference for different jurisprudential doctrines. Based on an analysis of the opinions, I argue that these jurists assumed a high degree of autonomy as producers and interpreters of the law and thus did not necessarily feel obliged to legitimate or excuse every imperial action.
Good Deed Lost: The Story of the Straka Foundation in Historical Context
Authors: Doležalová Antonie
Published: April 2017

What a beautiful day, Emil Franke may well have been thinking to himself as he hurried through the streets of Prague on a cool November morning in 1937. If only that day he had not been confronted by an unpleasant member of parliament's interpellations! The representatives of the Sudeten German Party were going to be asking about the wages of German minority teachers and Karel Domín, the rector of Charles University, was planning to ask about Straka Academy. Franke knew the situation in the academy very well—by the beginning of the 1920s, his Ministry of Supply had already occupied some of its rooms, and Domín shed some light on this situation. In his interpellation Domin described the state of the foundation as the most painful chapter in the existence of foundations in Czechoslovakia. He finished his speech by asking a question: “Are you, as Minister of Education, willing to arrange for both the foundation and academy to be returned and kept for our students as the founder of this foundation intended?” As Franke very well knew, at that moment in time the academy had barely any students. It was basically useless, it served no purpose.
Joseph Roth's Feuilleton Journalism as Social History in Vienna, 1919–20
Authors: Holmes Deborah
Published: April 2017

From April 1919 to April 1920, twenty-four-year-old Joseph Roth worked full time as a reporter on the newly founded Viennese daily Der Neue Tag [The new day]. It was his first regular job and, although he was later to become one of the best-paid journalists of the Weimar Republic, it was also the only one he would ever hold on a fixed contract. In spring 1919, Roth had recently returned from eastern Galicia, the place of his origins, where he had also been stationed during the war, first in the infantry, then as an army press officer. His position as a Heimkehrer in Vienna after the war was precarious for a number of reasons. Paid work was scarce in the impoverished city, and Roth had not finished—indeed, would never finish—his degree. More important, although he had already been resident in Vienna as a student before the outbreak of hostilities, the “Ostjude” Roth, like so many others, had no valid papers and no right to remain in the former imperial capital. Political parties across the spectrum were agitating for the largely Jewish refugees from the former eastern provinces of the fallen Habsburg empire to be sent “home”—even by force, if necessary. Roth's position at Der Neue Tag was therefore not only an important apprenticeship for his high-profile career in journalism—which in turn laid the foundations for his oeuvre as a novelist—but also constituted a vital existential anchor. Given their historical and biographical context, it seems surprising that the texts he produced for the new newspaper—two or three a week throughout this pivotal period in Vienna's transition from self-assured imperial capital to beleaguered Social Democratic outpost—have received comparatively little attention in Roth scholarship. This is in part a result of the acknowledged bias in research on German-language culture and literature during this era toward the Weimar Republic, in particular Berlin, and away from First Republic Austria: similar texts produced slightly later by Roth in and on the German capital are often studied and seem to have eclipsed the earlier Viennese texts. This article seeks to redress the balance within Roth scholarship while also suggesting what Roth's work for Der Neue Tag can contribute to our sociohistorical understanding of the period, despite or perhaps because of the literary techniques it uses.
Sulfated Hyaluronan Derivatives Modulate TGF-β1:Receptor Complex Formation: Possible Consequences for TGF-β1 Signaling
Authors: Koehler Linda , Samsonov Sergey , Rother Sandra , Vogel Sarah , Köhling Sebastian , Moeller Stephanie , Schnabelrauch Matthias , Rademann Jörg , Hempel Ute , Pisabarro M. Teresa , Scharnweber Dieter , Hintze Vera
Published: April 2017

Glycosaminoglycans are known to bind biological mediators thereby modulating their biological activity. Sulfated hyaluronans (sHA) were reported to strongly interact with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 leading to impaired bioactivity in fibroblasts. The underlying mechanism is not fully elucidated yet. Examining the interaction of all components of the TGF-β1:receptor complex with sHA by surface plasmon resonance, we could show that highly sulfated HA (sHA3) blocks binding of TGF-β1 to its TGF-β receptor-I (TβR-I) and -II (TβR-II). However, sequential addition of sHA3 to the TβR-II/TGF-β1 complex led to a significantly stronger recruitment of TβR-I compared to a complex lacking sHA3, indicating that the order of binding events is very important. Molecular modeling suggested a possible molecular mechanism in which sHA3 could potentially favor the association of TβR-I when added sequentially. For the first time bioactivity of TGF-β1 in conjunction with sHA was investigated at the receptor level. TβR-I and, furthermore, Smad2 phosphorylation were decreased in the presence of sHA3 indicating the formation of an inactive signaling complex. The results contribute to an improved understanding of the interference of sHA3 with TGF-β1:receptor complex formation and will help to further improve the design of functional biomaterials that interfere with TGF-β1-driven skin fibrosis.
LncRNAs2Pathways: Identifying the pathways influenced by a set of lncRNAs of interest based on a global network propagation method
Authors: Han Junwei , Liu Siyao , Sun Zeguo , Zhang Yunpeng , Zhang Fan , Zhang Chunlong , Shang Desi , Yang Haixiu , Su Fei , Xu Yanjun , Li Chunquan , Ren Huan , Li Xia
Published: April 2017

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play essential roles in diverse cellular processes and biological functions. Exploring the functions associated with lncRNAs may help provide insight into their underlying biological mechanisms. The current methods primarily focus on investigating the functions of individual lncRNAs; however, essential biological functions may be affected by the combinatorial effects of multiple lncRNAs. Here, we have developed a novel computational method, LncRNAs2Pathways, to identify the functional pathways influenced by the combinatorial effects of a set of lncRNAs of interest based on a global network propagation algorithm. A new Kolmogorov–Smirnov-like statistical measure weighted by the network propagation score, which considers the expression correlation among lncRNAs and coding genes, was used to evaluate the biological pathways influenced by the lncRNAs of interest. We have described the LncRNAs2Pathways methodology and illustrated its effectiveness by analyzing three lncRNA sets associated with glioma, prostate and pancreatic cancers. We further analyzed the reproducibility and robustness and compared our results with those of two other methods. Based on these analyses, we showed that LncRNAs2Pathways can effectively identify the functional pathways associated with lncRNA sets. Finally, we implemented this method as a freely available R-based tool.
The neural dynamics underlying the interpersonal effects of emotional expression on decision making
Authors: Chen Xuhai , Zheng Tingting , Han Lingzi , Chang Yingchao , Luo Yangmei
Published: April 2017

Although numerous studies explore the effects of emotion on decision-making, the existing research has mainly focused on the influence of intrapersonal emotions, leaving the influence of one person’s emotions on another’s decisions underestimated. To specify how interpersonal emotions shape decision-making and delineate the underlying neural dynamics involved, the present study examined brain responses to utilitarian feedback combined with angry or happy faces in competitive and cooperative contexts. Behavioral results showed that participants responded slower following losses than wins when competitors express happiness but responded faster following losses than wins when cooperators express anger. Importantly, angry faces in competitive context reversed the differentiation pattern of feedback-related negativity (FRN) between losses and wins and diminished the difference between losses and wins on both P300 and theta power, but only diminished the difference on FRN between losses and wins in cooperative context. However, when partner displays happiness, losses versus wins elicited larger FRN and theta power in competitive context but smaller P300 in both contexts. These results suggest that interpersonal emotions shape decisions during both automatic motivational salience valuation (FRN) and conscious cognitive appraisal (P300) stages of processing, in which different emotional expressions exert interpersonal influence through different routes.
Characterization of Different Microbubbles in Assisting Focused Ultrasound-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Opening
Authors: Wu Sheng-Kai , Chu Po-Chun , Chai Wen-Yen , Kang Shih-Tsung , Tsai Chih-Hung , Fan Ching-Hsiang , Yeh Chih-Kuang , Liu Hao-Li
Published: April 2017

Microbubbles (MBs) serve as a critical catalyst to amplify local cavitation in CNS capillary lumen to facilitate focused ultrasound (FUS) to transiently open the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, limited understanding is available regarding the effect of different microbubbles to induce BBB opening. The aim of this study is to characterize different MBs on their effect in FUS-induced BBB opening. Three MBs, SonoVue, Definity, and USphere, were tested, with 0.4-MHz FUS exposure at 0.62–1.38 of mechanical index (MI) on rats. Evans blue, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI and small-animal ultrasound imaging were used as surrogates to allow molecule-penetrated quantification, BBB-opened observation, and MBs circulation/persistence. Cavitation activity was measured via the passive cavitation detection (PCD) setup to correlate with the exposure level and the histological effect. Under given and identical MB concentrations, the three MBs induced similar and equivalent BBB-opening effects and persistence. In addition, a treatment paradigm by adapting exposure time is proposed to compensate MB decay to retain the persistence of BBB-opening efficiency in multiple FUS exposures. The results potentially improve understanding of the equivalence among MBs in focused ultrasound CNS drug delivery, and provide an effective strategy for securing persistence in this treatment modality.
Mechanisms of vascular disease in dementia: what does industry want to know?
Authors: Wren Paul B. , Hill Derek , Lockhart Andrew
Published: April 2017

Despite recent advances in basic and clinical science, dementia remains an area of high unmet medical need. The role of cerebrovascular mechanisms in the pathogenesis and progression of cognitive and functional impairment in dementia is being revived. In order to facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches, it is critical that a number of fundamental elements are integrated into research strategies investigating cerebrovascular pathologies as these will maximize the opportunity of bringing medicines to patients in a timely manner.
Head Measurements for the Diagnosis of Craniosynostosis
Authors: CostaVal José , Mandic Leopoldo , Gusmão Sebastião
Published: April 2017

Objective Craniosynostosis is a group of growth disturbances of the skull, which can result in serious consequences for the children who suffer from it. Early diagnosis provides treatment at the correct time. Most of the time, the pediatrician uses the head circumference (HC) as a parameter for the diagnosis, but the HC does not appear to be changed in this disease, leading to incorrect interpretations. The anteroposterior distance (APD) and biauricular distance (BAD) appear to be more accurate. The aim of this study is to analyze the value of the HC and the ratio between the measurements of the APD and the BAD for this diagnosis.

Methods We analyzed the data from 129 children who had already undergone an operation for craniosynostosis at an institution in Southeastern Brazil. These data were compared with the normal standards of the population and statistically analyzed to establish their alterations.

Results The HC did not change significantly in cases of craniosynostosis, neither when it was considered as a single disease, nor when considering the different subtypes. The APD/BAD ratio changed significantly in the group.

Conclusion The HC does not appear to be useful in the diagnosis of craniosynostosis as an individual parameter. The APD/BAD ratio appears to help in the diagnosis.