bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Catalytic oxidation of aqueous bioethanol: an efficient upgrade from batch to flow
Authors: Mostrou Sotiria , Sipőcz Tamás , Nagl Andreas , Fődi Balázs , Darvas Ferenc , Föttinger Karin , van Bokhoven Jeroen A.
Published: August 2018

Acetic acid production increased with the use of a flow system due to steady-state long-term operation versus batch cycling.
Chimera: enabling hierarchy based multi-objective optimization for self-driving laboratories
Authors: Häse Florian , Roch Loïc M. , Aspuru-Guzik Alán
Published: August 2018

Chimera enables multi-target optimization for experimentation or expensive computations, where evaluations are the limiting factor.
Glyoxylamide-based self-assembly hydrogels for sustained ciprofloxacin delivery
Authors: Aldilla Vina R. , Martin Adam D. , Nizalapur Shashidhar , Marjo Christopher E. , Rich Anne M. , Ho Kitty K. K. , Ittner Lars M. , Black David StC. , Thordarson Pall , Kumar Naresh
Published: August 2018

Glyoxylamide-based hydrogels have high ciprofloxacin (CIP) loading capacity and demonstrate a sustained release profile of over 15 days.
Barcoding chemical modifications into nucleic acids improves drug stability in vivo
Authors: Sago Cory D. , Kalathoor Sujay , Fitzgerald Jordan P. , Lando Gwyneth N. , Djeddar Naima , Bryksin Anton V. , Dahlman James E.
Published: August 2018

The efficacy of nucleic acid therapies can be limited by unwanted degradation.
Optimisation of grafting of low fouling polymers from three-dimensional scaffolds via surface-initiated Cu(0) mediated polymerisation
Authors: Duque-Sánchez Lina , Brack Narelle , Postma Almar , Pigram Paul J. , Meagher Laurence
Published: August 2018

Well-controlled low fouling polymers brushes were grafted from the surface of biodegradable electrospun fibres for advanced tissue engineering applications.
Synergistic photo optical and magnetic properties of a hybrid nanocomposite consisting of a zinc oxide nanorod array decorated with iron oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Azeredo Brandon , Carton Anne , Leuvrey Cédric , Kiefer Céline , Ihawakrim Dris , Zafairatos Spyridon , Gallart Mathieu , Gilliot Pierre , Pichon Benoit P.
Published: August 2018

A ZnO/PBA/Fe3−δO4 nanocomposite displays enhanced magnetic and optical properties as a result of dual synergy.
The evolution of the photoprotective antenna proteins in oxygenic photosynthetic eukaryotes
Authors: Giovagnetti Vasco , Ruban Alexander V.
Published: August 2018

Photosynthetic organisms require rapid and reversible down-regulation of light harvesting to avoid photodamage. Response to unpredictable light fluctuations is achieved by inducing energy-dependent quenching, qE, which is the major component of the process known as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence. qE is controlled by the operation of the xanthophyll cycle and accumulation of specific types of proteins, upon thylakoid lumen acidification. The protein cofactors so far identified to modulate qE in photosynthetic eukaryotes are the photosystem II subunit S (PsbS) and light-harvesting complex stress-related (LHCSR/LHCX) proteins. A transition from LHCSR- to PsbS-dependent qE took place during the evolution of the Viridiplantae (also known as ‘green lineage’ organisms), such as green algae, mosses and vascular plants. Multiple studies showed that LHCSR and PsbS proteins have distinct functions in the mechanism of qE. LHCX(-like) proteins are closely related to LHCSR proteins and found in ‘red lineage’ organisms that contain secondary red plastids, such as diatoms. Although LHCX proteins appear to control qE in diatoms, their role in the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we present the current knowledge on the functions and evolution of these crucial proteins, which evolved in photosynthetic eukaryotes to optimise light harvesting.
Ras proteins as therapeutic targets
Authors: Chakraborty Atanu , Linnane Emily , Ross Sarah
Published: August 2018

Oncogenic mutations in RAS genes underlie the pathogenesis of many human tumours, and there has been intense effort for over 30 years to develop effective and tolerated targeted therapeutics for patients with Ras-driven cancers. This review summarises the progress made in Ras drug discovery, highlighting some of the recent developments in directly targeting Ras through advances in small molecule drug design and novel therapeutic strategies.
Fantastic voyage: the journey of intestinal microbiota-derived microvesicles through the body
Authors: Stentz Régis , Carvalho Ana L. , Jones Emily J. , Carding Simon R.
Published: August 2018

As part of their life cycle, Gram-negative bacteria produce and release microvesicles (outer membrane vesicles, OMVs) consisting of spherical protrusions of the outer membrane that encapsulate periplasmic contents. OMVs produced by commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of animals are dispersed within the gut lumen with their cargo and enzymes being distributed across and throughout the GI tract. Their ultimate destination and fate is unclear although they can interact with and cross the intestinal epithelium using different entry pathways and access underlying immune cells in the lamina propria. OMVs have also been found in the bloodstream from which they can access various tissues and possibly the brain. The nanosize and non-replicative status of OMVs together with their resistance to enzyme degradation and low pH, alongside their ability to interact with the host, make them ideal candidates for delivering biologics to mucosal sites, such as the GI and the respiratory tract. In this mini-review, we discuss the fate of OMVs produced in the GI tract of animals with a focus on vesicles released by Bacteroides species and the use of OMVs as vaccine delivery vehicles and other potential applications.
Flavin transferase: the maturation factor of flavin-containing oxidoreductases
Authors: Bogachev Alexander V. , Baykov Alexander A. , Bertsova Yulia V.
Published: August 2018

Flavins, cofactors of many enzymes, are often covalently linked to these enzymes; for instance, flavin adenine mononucleotide (FMN) can form a covalent bond through either its phosphate or isoalloxazine group. The prevailing view had long been that all types of covalent attachment of flavins occur as autocatalytic reactions; however, in 2013, the first flavin transferase was identified, which catalyzes phosphoester bond formation between FMN and Na+-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase in certain bacteria. Later studies have indicated that this post-translational modification is widespread in prokaryotes and is even found in some eukaryotes. Flavin transferase can occur as a separate ∼40 kDa protein or as a domain within the target protein and recognizes a degenerate DgxtsAT/S motif in various target proteins. The purpose of this review was to summarize the progress already achieved by studies of the structure, mechanism, and specificity of flavin transferase and to encourage future research on this topic. Interestingly, the flavin transferase gene (apbE) is found in many bacteria that have no known target protein, suggesting the presence of yet unknown flavinylation targets.
Kernel-nulling for a robust direct interferometric detection of extrasolar planets
Authors: Martinache Frantz , Ireland Michael J.
Published: August 2018

Context. Combining the resolving power of long-baseline interferometry with the high-dynamic range capability of nulling still remains the only technique that can directly sense the presence of structures in the innermost regions of extrasolar planetary systems.

Aims. Ultimately, the performance of any nuller architecture is constrained by the partial resolution of the on-axis star whose light it attempts to cancel out. However from the ground, the effective performance of nulling is dominated by residual time-varying instrumental phase and background errors that keep the instrument off the null. Our work investigates robustness against instrumental phase.

Methods. We introduce a modified nuller architecture that enables the extraction of information that is robust against piston excursions. Our method generalizes the concept of kernel, now applied to the outputs of the modified nuller so as to make them robust to second order pupil phase error. We present the general method to determine these kernel-outputs and highlight the benefits of this novel approach.

Results. We present the properties of VIKiNG: the VLTI Infrared Kernel NullinG, an instrument concept within the Hi-5 framework for the 4-UT VLTI infrastructure that takes advantage of the proposed architecture, to produce three self-calibrating nulled outputs.

Conclusions. Stabilized by a fringe-tracker that would bring piston-excursions down to 50 nm, this instrument would be able to directly detect more than a dozen extrasolar planets so-far detected by radial velocity only, as well as many hot transiting planets and a significant number of very young exoplanets.
Fornax3D project: Overall goals, galaxy sample, MUSE data analysis, and initial results
Authors: Sarzi M. , Iodice E. , Coccato L. , Corsini E. M. , de Zeeuw P. T. , Falcón-Barroso J. , Gadotti D. A. , Lyubenova M. , McDermid R. M. , van de Ven G. , Fahrion K. , Pizzella A. , Zhu L.
Published: August 2018

The Fornax cluster provides a uniquely compact laboratory in which to study the detailed history of early-type galaxies and the role played by the environment in driving their evolution and their transformation from late-type galaxies. Using the superb capabilities of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope, high-quality integral-field spectroscopic data were obtained for the inner regions of all the bright (mB ≤ 15) galaxies within the virial radius of Fornax. The stellar haloes of early-type galaxies are also covered out to about four effective radii. State-of-the-art stellar dynamical and population modelling allows characterising the disc components of fast-rotating early-type galaxies, constraining radial variations in the stellar initial-mass functions and measuring the stellar age, metallicity, and α-element abundance of stellar haloes in cluster galaxies. This paper describes the sample selection, observations, and overall goals of the survey, and provides initial results based on the spectroscopic data, including the detailed characterisation of stellar kinematics and populations to large radii; decomposition of galaxy components directly via their orbital structure; the ability to identify globular clusters and planetary nebulae, and derivation of high-quality emission-line diagnostics in the presence of complex ionised gas.
Warped disks during type II outbursts in Be/X-ray binaries: evidence from optical polarimetry
Authors: Reig P. , Blinov D.
Published: August 2018

Context. Current models that explain giant (type II) X-ray outbursts in Be/X-ray binaries (BeXB), are based on the idea of highly distorted disks. They are believed to occur when a misaligned and warped disk becomes eccentric, allowing the neutron star to capture a large amount of material. The BeXB 4U 0115+63 underwent two major outbursts in 2015 and 2017.

Aims. Our aim is to investigate whether the structural changes in the disk expected during type II outbursts can be detected through optical polarimetry.

Methods. We present the first optical polarimetric observations and new optical spectra of the BeXB 4U 0115+63 covering the period 2013–2017. We study in detail the shape of the Hα line profile and the polarization parameters before, during, and after the occurrence of a type II X-ray outburst.

Results. We find significant changes in polarization degree and polarization angle and highly distorted line profiles during the 2017 X-ray outburst. The degree of polarization decreased by ∼1%, while the polarization angle, which is supposed to be related with the disk orientation, first increased by ∼10° in about two months and then decreased by a similar amount and on a similar timescale once the X-ray activity ceased.

Conclusions. We interpret the polarimetric and spectroscopic variability as evidence for the presence of a warped disk.
Spectroscopic classification and Gaia DR2 parallaxes of new nearby white dwarfs among selected blue proper motion stars
Authors: Scholz R.-D. , Meusinger H. , Schwope A. , Jahreiß H. , Pelisoli I.
Published: August 2018

Aims. With our low-resolution spectroscopic observing programme for selected blue proper motion stars, we tried to find new white dwarfs (WDs) in the solar neighbourhood.

Methods. We used the Lépine & Shara Proper Motion (LSPM) catalogue with a lower proper motion limit of 150 mas yr−1 and the Second US Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC2) for proper motions down to about 90 mas yr−1. The LSPM and UCAC2 photometry was combined with Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) near-infrared (NIR) photometry. Targets selected according to their blue optical-to-NIR and NIR colours were observed mainly at Calar Alto. The spectra were classified by comparison with a large number of already known comparison objects, including WDs, simultaneously observed within our programme. Gaia DR2 parallaxes and colours were used to confirm or reject spectroscopic WD candidates and to derive improved effective temperatures.

Results. We found ten new WDs at distances between 24.4 pc and 79.8 pc, including six hot DA WDs: GD 221 (DA2.0), HD 166435 B (DA2.2), GD 277 (DA2.2), 2MASS J19293865+1117523 (DA2.4), 2MASS J05280449+4105253 (DA3.6), and 2MASS J05005185-0930549 (DA4.2). The latter is rather bright (G ≍ 12.6) and with its Gaia DR2 parallax of ≍14 mas it appears overluminous by about 3 mag compared to the WD sequence in the Gaia DR2 colour-magnitude diagram. It may be the closest extremely low mass (ELM) WD to the Sun. We further classified 2MASS J07035743+2534184 as DB4.1. With its distance of 25.6 pc it is the second nearest known representative of its class. With GD 28 (DA6.1), LP 740-47 (DA7.5), and LSPM J1919+4527 (DC10.3) three additional cool WDs were found. Gaia DR2 parallaxes show that four of our candidates, but also two previously supposed WDs (WD 1004+665 and LSPM J1445+2527) are in fact distant Galactic halo stars with high tangential velocities. Among our rejected WD candidates, we identified a bright (G = 13.4 mag) G-type carbon dwarf, LSPM J0937+2803, at a distance of 272 pc.
Differences of Medical Care for Acute Severe Viral Bronchiolitis in Two Urban Areas in Europe
Authors: Dohna-Schwake Christian , Mücher Katrin , Stehling Florian , Rothoeft Tobias , Roll Claudia , Brevis Nuńez Francisco , Seiffert Peter , Heister Peter , Hofmann Michael , Stein Anja , Jacobs Arnd , Zuzak Tycho , Durand Philippe , Felderhoff-Müser Ursula , Tissières Pierre
Published: August 2018

Background Acute viral bronchiolitis is a frequent disease in infancy. There is little knowledge on medical care of severely affected infants in different European countries.

Patients: Infants (n=146) with bronchiolitis requiring respiratory support in winter season 2015/2016 treated in either one of two regions in Central Europe: South of greater Paris region in France (group 1) and Ruhr area in Germany (group 2).

Methods Retrospective chart review. Primary outcome parameter was duration of respiratory support.

Results Infants in group 1 (n=96) were younger, suffered less frequently from neurologic disorders and had lower respiratory rates than in group 2 (n=50). CO2 levels and dyspnea score were similar. Ninety percent of infants in group 1 were treated by nasal Continuous Airway Pressure CPAP, while 80% of infants in group 2 were treated by High Flow Nasal Cannula HFNC. Duration of respiratory support was significantly shorter in group 1. Infants in group 2 received more frequently infusion therapy, more antibiotics and more inhalation therapy.

Discussion Our results show better outcome for infants with viral bronchiolitis treated in France. Striking differences were the practice of respiratory support (nasal CPAP vs. HFNC) and the prescription of supportive treatments.

Conclusion Treatment approaches in severe acute viral bronchiolitis differ widely between a French and a German urban region.
Dreifachfixkombinationen (LAMA/LABA/ICS) zur inhalativen Dauertherapie der schwergradigen COPD
Authors: Gillissen A. , Paparoupa M. , Frings D. , Atique B. , Koczulla R.
Published: August 2018

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) ist durch eine persistierende Atemwegsobstruktion charakterisiert, die durch eine meist jahrzehntelange Exposition gegenüber inhalativen Noxen wie Zigarettenrauch, Stäuben oder Gasen hervorgerufen wird. Langwirksame Beta-2-Mimetika und langwirksame Anticholinergika (LABA/LAMA), getrennt oder in einem Inhalationsdevice, sind gegenwärtig die wichtigste Grundlage in der COPD-Therapie. LABA/ICS- (inhalatives Kortikosteroid) Kombinationen haben ihren Stellenwert im Rahmen der Eskalation v. a. bei Patienten mit ≥ 2 Exazerbationen/Jahr. Neuere Studien zu Dreifachfixkombinationen, die entweder Fluticason/Vilanterol/Umeclidinium oder Beclometason/Formoterol/Glycopyrronium enthalten, haben unser Wissen zur ICS-basierten Therapie der COPD erweitert. Die inhalativen Triple-Therapien reduzierten im Vergleich zu LABA/ICS, zur LAMA-Monotherapie und zur LABA/LAMA-Kombination signifikant sowohl die Exazerbationsrate, als auch die Dyspnoe und verbesserten die Lungenfunktion (FEV1) sowie die Lebensqualität. Ende 2017 wurde eine Kombination aus Beclometason/Formoterol/Glycopyrronium und Anfang 2018 eine Kombination aus Fluticasonfuroat/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol als fixe Triple-Präparate für die inhalative COPD-Therapie zugelassen. Die Domäne für die LABA/LAMA/ICS-Kombinationen ist die schwere COPD der Gruppen C + D.
Efficient Preparation of Cyclic α-Alkylidene β-Oxo Imides by Using a Flow Microreactor System
Authors: Nakada Masahisa , Komuro Katsuhiro , Nagaki Aiichiro , Shimoda Hiroki , Uwamori Masahiro , Yoshida Jun-ichi
Published: August 2018

Successful transformations of 3-iodo-1-methyl-5,6-dihydropyridin-2(1H)-one into its derivatives by a halogen–lithium exchange and subsequent reactions in a flow microreactor system are described. The methylation of the organolithium compound generated from 3-iodo-1-methyl-5,6-dihydropyridin-2(1H)-one in the flow microreactor system afforded the desired methylated product in 68% yield, whereas the yield of the corresponding batch reaction was 23%. This superiority of the flow microreactor system was further emphasized in the reaction of the organolithium compound with methoxycarbonyl isocyanate, which gave the desired imide in 78% yield by using the flow microreactor system whereas the yield of the corresponding batch reaction was only 2%. The established flow microreactor system was also effectively used for the reaction of the organolithium compound with phenyl isocyanate to afford the desired product in 52% yield.
Application of Two Neutral Mspl DNA Polymorphisms in the Analysis of Hereditary Protein C Deficiency
Authors: Reitsma P H , te Lintel Hekkert W , Koenhen E , van der Velden P A , Allaart C F , Deutz-Terlouw P P , Poort S R , Bertina R M
Published: August 2018

Screening of restriction erzyme digested DNA from normal and protein C deficient individuals with a variety of probes derived from the protein C locus has revealed the existence of two neutral MspI polymorphism. One polymorphism (MI), which is located ≈7 kb upstream of the protein C gene, has allelic frequencies of 69 and 31%, and was used to exclude extensive gene deletions as a likely cause of type I protein C deficiency in 50% of cases in a panel of 22 families. Furtherrnore, the same polymorphism has been used in 5 doubly affected individuals establishing compound heterozygosity in 3 of these.

The second, intragenic, polymorphism (MII) has allelic frequencies of 99 and 1% in the normal population. The frequency of the rare allele of this RFLP was with 7% much higher in a panel of 22 Dutch families with protein C deficiency. Interestingly, in all three probands that were heterozygous for MII the rare allele
of MII coincided with a point mutation that leads to a stop codon in amino acid position 306 of the protein C coding sequence. This mutation may account for 14% of the protein C deficient individuals in The Netherlands.
Fibrinolysis in the Domestic Chicken (Gallus domesticus)
Authors: Allen B. V
Published: August 2018

1. Spontaneous fibrinolysis has been demonstrated in the domestic chicken.

2. Lysis is dependent on optimum conditions both in the euglobulin lysis time and fibrin plate techniques. High ionic strength buffers increase the lysis time as does a low molarity of CaCl2. A combination of the two greatly reduces the sensitivity of the tests. Absence of Ca++ from the standard fibrin plate prevented lysis from taking place.

3. The euglobulin precipitate of chickens contains almost all of the plasma fibrinogen. This would suggest that euglobulin lysis times are influenced by plasma concentrations of fibrinogen.
Erythrocyte Sedimentation and Soluble Fibrin Monomer Complexes
Authors: Lipiński B , Worowski K , Myśliwiec M , Farbiszewski R
Published: August 2018

It is shown in the present work that highly significant correlation (r = 0.836) exists between the level of SFMC and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in blood of 56 patients. No correlation of ESR with fibrinogen content was observed in 1 patient during the post-operative period, as well as in the group of experimentally infected rabbits. Administration of fibrinolysis inhibitors into rabbits (EACA, IP-315, HgCl2) caused in all cases a significant increase in ESR and in plasma SFMC with unrelated elevation of the fibrinogen level. Protamine sulphate added to whole blood with high ESR to final concentration 1 mg/ml of blood completely abolished the sedimentation of erythrocytes. A hypothesis is formulated according to which red cells interacting with SFMC increase their sedimentation rate.
An Evaluation of a Plasma Fractionation System
Authors: Shinowara George Y. , Ruth E. Mary
Published: August 2018

Four primary fractions comprising at least 97 per cent of the plasma proteins have been critically appraised for evidence of denaturation arising from a low temperature—low ionic strength fractionation system. The results in addition to those referable to the recovery of mass and biological activity include the following: The high solubilities of these fractions at pH 7.3 and low ionic strengths; the compatibility of the electrophoretic and ultracentrifugal data of the individual fractions with those of the original plasma; and the recovery of hemoglobin, not hematin, in fraction III obtained from specimens contaminated with this pigment. However, the most significant evidence for minimum alterations of native proteins was that the S20, w and the electrophoretic mobility data on the physically recombined fractions were identical to those found on whole plasma.

The fractionation procedure examined here quantitatively isolates fibrinogen, prothrombin and antithrombin in primary fractions. Results have been obtained demonstrating its significance in other biological systems. These include the following: The finding of 5 S20, w classes in the 4 primary fractions; the occurrence of more than 90 per cent of the plasma gamma globulins in fraction III; the 98 per cent pure albumin in fraction IV; and, finally, the high concentration of beta lipoproteins in fraction II.
Statistical Correlation of Liver Function Tests with Coagulation Factor Deficiencies in Laennec’s Cirrhosis
Authors: Kupfer H. G , Gee W , Ewald A Timothy , Turner Malcolm E.
Published: August 2018

Hemorrhage is one of the most serious complications of chronic liver disease. Deficiency of plasma coagulation factors, thrombocytopenia, and increased vascular fragility have been reported in many patients with Laennec’s cirrhosis. Factors V, VII, IX, X and prothrombin were deficient in a majority of the 25 patients included in this study.

Six tests of liver function and seven of plasma coagulation factors were evaluated, using the method of statistical regression analysis. The intercorrelation of tests in each group was evaluated as well as the correlation between liver function tests and plasma coagulation factors. Fibrinogen deficiency was not felt to play a significant role in hemorrhagic diathesis in our cases.
Reconstruction of Radioscaphocapitate Ligament in Treatment of Ulnar Translation
Authors: Aita Marcio , Alves Rafael , Ibanez Daniel , Consoni Daniel , de Oliveira Ricardo , Ruggiero Gustavo
Published: August 2018

Background This article measures the life quality, clinical, and functional outcomes of a patient who had undergone reconstruction of the radioscaphocapitate ligament (RSL), using brachioradialis tendon in the treatment of ulnar translation of the carpus.

Case Description We present a 36-year-old man with ulnar translation in his left, nondominant wrist, after fall accident. Reconstruction of the RSL was performed. One year later, the patient experienced good evaluation. Wrist flexion was 70 degrees, extension was 60 degrees, radial deviation was 20 degrees, and ulnar deviation was 30 degrees. Forearm pronation was 85 degrees and supination was 90 degrees and digit motion was full. Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score of 5, Visual Analog Scale of 0, and grip strength of 82% were obtained compared with the unaffected side. Wrist radiographic aspects showed radiocarpal joint congruency. The period of fixator treatment was 8 weeks. Good stability and joint congruency of the radiocarpal joint were obtained. Good radiographic, clinical, and functional results were obtained improving the quality of life of the patient.

Literature Review The treatment of ulnar translation is difficult and complicated. There is no consensus to the overall management. As there is still a lack of long-term results, the indications for surgery, various surgical options, and the type of intervention have been a matter of controversy in the literature. Would radiocarpal joint be stable when reconstruction of the RSL using brachioradialis tendon was obtained? Is it possible to reduce an ulnar translation with this technique?

Clinical Relevance We would like to suggest that the radiocarpal ligament reconstruction will improve the outcome. We believe that this technique will make the wrist more stable and functional. We agree that the best time to perform the corrections is early. The authors prefer to first reconstruct the RSL and then the radiocarpal ligament suture or radioscapholunate arthrodesis.
Accurate self-calibrated fiber transfer delay measurement
Authors: Si H. W. , Wang B. , Dong J. W. , Wang L. J.
Published: August 2018

An accurate self-calibrated fiber transfer delay measurement method is demonstrated. Using the simplified self-calibration configuration, the measurement uncertainty of fiber transfer delay is improved. To demonstrate the accuracy of the method, the measurement results of two systems are compared. It shows that this method achieves a sub-picosecond accuracy. Besides, the chromatic dispersion of fiber under test is also obtained, which is in agreement with the nominal value.
Heat capacity of the highly frustrated triangulated Kagome lattice Cu9Cl2(cpa)6
Authors: Farmer William M. , Skinner Samuel F. , ter Haar Leonard W.
Published: August 2018

Magnetic field-dependent heat capacity measurements on the tunable molecular magnet Cu9Cl2(cpa)6, a metal organic framework (MOF) based on copper(II) ions and carboxypentonic acid, suggest that this molecular magnetic material could serve as a candidate for quantum spin liquid (QSL) studies. The 2-D framework has been described as a ‘triangles-in-triangles’ (TIT) Kagomé or triangulated-Kagomé-lattice (TKL), and previous magnetic experiments and theoretical studies have suggested this Kagomé Heisenberg antiferromagnet (KHAF) is highly frustrated. Here we report heat capacity data down to 50mK that confirms this frustration. Above 5K the material exhibits field-independent heat capacity that largely fits C = αT3+βT behavior with parameters that vary with the temperature window of analysis. Below 5K, the zero-field heat capacity exhibits no obvious phase transition down to 0.050K and levels off at a nonzero value. Upon the application of magnetic field, a peak in the heat capacity (Cmax) emerges from below 0.050K. The temperature at which (Cmag/T)max occurs, Tmax, scales linearly with applied field. As Tmax increases, the magnitude of (Cmag/T)max decreases and the peak broadens, eventually subsumed into the αT3 behavior above 3T. Below Cmax, the heat capacity decreases to zero at finite temperatures in large fields. These data corroborate magnetic data and confirm that this frustrated TKL material does not exhibit a phase transition in low-to-zero field down to 0.050 K. Further, the temperature Tmax nominally extrapolates to 0K in zero-field, yielding a T-H phase diagram similar to Herbertsmithite; one that suggests CPA could be a possible candidate to develop additional chemical variants for QSL studies.
Topological signatures of the coexistence of antiferromagnetism and odd-parity spin-triplet superconductivity
Authors: Mercaldo Maria Teresa , Kotetes Panagiotis , Cuoco Mario
Published: August 2018

Strongly correlated systems exhibit a rich phenomenology due to the antagonism of a diversity of ordered phases. The aftermath of this interplay can lead to a coexistence which takes place at a microscopic level, or, a phase separation in which non-overlapping single-order domains extend throughout the material. In most cases it appears experimentally challenging to disentangle the two scenarios, unless there exist robust and measurable properties particular to only one of the two types of coexistence. This is for instance the case when the type of coexistence decides on the appearance of topologically protected excitations, such as, Majorana fermions. In this work, we explore a concrete example falling into this category of systems, and specifically, we investigate one-dimensional odd-parity spin-triplet superconductors in the presence of antiferromagnetism. We determine the symmetry conditions for the occurrence of Majorana edge states and explore their response to variations of the strength and orientation of the antiferromagnetic field M, as well as, the spin structure of the Cooper pairs controlled by the so-called d-vector.
Lorentz gamma factor from vacuum to medium and Minkowski momentum of a photon
Authors: Saikia Dipok
Published: August 2018

Lorentz gamma factor is derived for a photon when it moves from vacuum to a dielectric medium of refractive index μ. This gamma factor can completely explain the increase of photon momentum (Minkowski momentum) in a medium. Covariance problem is resolved without violating energy conservation law and Lorentz invariance.
Viscosity, structure and fragility of Ag-Si melts
Authors: Zhao Yan , Hou Xiaoxia , Bai Yanwen
Published: August 2018

Viscosities and liquid structures of Ag100-xSix (x=5, 7, 9, 11, at.%) melts were studied by an oscillating viscometer and an X-ray diffractometer. Temperature dependence of viscosity and the correlation length D all can be fitted well by Arrhenius equation. The activation energy for viscous flow Ea,V and the activation energy for structural evolution Ea,D all increase with increasing Si content. Above the liquidus temperature, the coordination number Ns, the correlation radius rc, the atom numbers in the cluster Nc and the correlation length D all increase with decreasing temperature. Among them, rc and Nc show a significant increase near the liquidus temperature. In the liquid-solid interval, the structural parameters show different behaviors with temperature due to the influence of the liquid-solid equilibrium reaction of the precipitation phase. Based on the investigated viscosity and structure, the fragility parameter of superheated melts M and the structural fragility parameter Fs were calculated. Both M and Fs increase with increasing silicon content. This work provides us a further understanding of the liquid-solid transition from the perspective of liquid structure and dynamics.
Communication: Optical gap in polyacetylene from a simple quantum chemistry exciton model
Authors: Becke Axel D.
Published: August 2018

A recent virial-theorem-based model of the singlet-triplet splitting in singly excited configurations [A. D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 148, 044112 (2018)] offers an accurate and economical tool for the computation of optical gaps in large molecules. Two single-determinant density-functional-theory calculations, one on the (closed-shell) ground state and another on the (restricted open-shell) HOMO → LUMO triplet excited state, followed by a simple two-electron integral evaluation, are all we need. Here the method is used to compute the optical gaps of trans-polyenes containing up to 60 carbon atoms, approaching the polyacetylene limit. Comparisons with previous computations, and experiment, are made. We also explore changes of the exact-exchange mixing fraction in the underlying density functional. Its effect on the optical gap, and also the exciton size, is enormous. Thus we face the vexing, often asked, question: how much exact exchange should be used?
Age and growth of the threatened endemic skate Rioraja agassizii (Chondrichthyes, Arhynchobatidae) in the western South Atlantic
Authors: Caltabellotta F. P. , Silva F. M. , Motta F. S. , Gadig O. B. F.
Published: August 2018

The Rio skate Rioraja agassizii is a threatened endemic skate species frequently caught as bycatch in the western South Atlantic. However, there is no biological information about its age and growth parameters, which would be necessary to provide science-based information for the development of management strategies for this species. The aim of the present study was to provide information about the age and growth parameters of R. agassizii. In all, 138 vertebrae from individuals ranging in size from 9.0 to 53.2-cm total length (TL) were analysed. The edge analysis indicated a trend for annual band deposition in the vertebrae. Maximum ages estimated for males and females were 6 and 10 years respectively. Akaike’s information criterion indicated that the modified two-parameter form of the von Bertalanffy growth function (using length at birth L0=9.0cm TL) provided the best fit, with derived parameters of theoretical maximum length L∞=49.6cm TL and growth coefficient k=0.27 for males and L∞=59.0cm TL and k=0.22 for females. Our results are important to understanding the resilience of this skate species to harvest, which can contribute to the development of fisheries management strategies and conservation programs.
Improving healthcare through digital connection? Findings from a qualitative study about patient portals in New Zealand
Authors: Elers Phoebe , Nelson Frances
Published: August 2018

Research has shown that patient portals can improve patient–provider communication and patient satisfaction. Yet few studies have examined patient portals in New Zealand. In this study, GPs from nine primary care practices were interviewed using a semi-structured interview technique to ascertain how they thought patient portals influence the delivery of primary healthcare. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. The three themes detected were: patient portal usage, health information seeking and the changing consultation. Although most of the participants indicated that patient portals are not being effectively utilised, they were optimistic about the role of information technology in primary healthcare for providing accurate information and to connect with patients in modern terms. Participants reported that some patients have become more informed and compliant with medical treatments and interventions after using patient portals. It seems that patient portals have the potential to enhance patient–provider relationships and help patients manage more aspects of their health care.
Distinct roles of prefrontal and parietal areas in the encoding of attentional priority
Authors: Sapountzis Panagiotis , Paneri Sofia , Gregoriou Georgia G.
Published: August 2018

Significance

During search, information about the similarity of stimuli to the searched-for target is thought to be encoded in spatial priority maps, which signal the behavioral relevance of stimuli across the visual field. The frontal eye field (FEF) and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) have both been reported to hold priority maps, but it is unknown whether the two areas have identical or distinct roles in encoding attentional priority. Here, we show that whereas LIP responses reflect the similarity of stimuli to the target, FEF responses integrate perceptual relevance with oculomotor decisions. Moreover, although feature-based attention effects are stronger within FEF, they emerge at similar latencies in subpopulations of the two areas, implying parallel processing of priority information.
Anomalous Hall effect in Weyl semimetal half-Heusler compounds RPtBi (R = Gd and Nd)
Authors: Shekhar Chandra , Kumar Nitesh , Grinenko V. , Singh Sanjay , Sarkar R. , Luetkens H. , Wu Shu-Chun , Zhang Yang , Komarek Alexander C. , Kampert Erik , Skourski Yurii , Wosnitza Jochen , Schnelle Walter , McCollam Alix , Zeitler Uli , Kübler Jürgen , Yan Binghai , Klauss H.-H. , Parkin S. S. P. , Felser C.
Published: August 2018

Significance

GdPtBi and NdPtBi belong to the Heusler family of compounds and are conventional antiferromagnets below 9 and 2.1 K, respectively. We present evidence for magnetic-field–induced Weyl physics in these compounds, namely, a chiral anomaly (negative magnetoresistance) and an anomalous Hall effect (AHE) with a large anomalous Hall angle over a wide range of temperature. The AHE and chiral anomaly have a similar temperature dependence, indicating their common origin. These studies plus band structure calculations reveal that GdPtBi and NdPtBi develop Weyl points in the presence of an external magnetic field that arises from an exchange field. Our observations open the path to the realization of the quantum AHE in antiferromagnetic Heusler thin films.
QTY code enables design of detergent-free chemokine receptors that retain ligand-binding activities
Authors: Zhang Shuguang , Tao Fei , Qing Rui , Tang Hongzhi , Skuhersky Michael , Corin Karolina , Tegler Lotta , Wassie Asmamaw , Wassie Brook , Kwon Yongwon , Suter Bernhard , Entzian Clemens , Schubert Thomas , Yang Ge , Labahn Jörg , Kubicek Jan , Maertens Barbara
Published: August 2018

Significance

The QTY (glutamine, threonine, and tyrosine) code-designed detergent-free chemokine receptors may be useful in many applications. The QTY variants may be useful not only as reagents in deorphanization studies but also for designing biologics to treat cancer and autoimmune or infectious diseases. The QTY code allows membrane proteins to be systematically designed through simple, specific amino acid substitutions. The QTY code is robust and straightforward: It is the simplest tool to carry out membrane protein design without sophisticated computer algorithms. Thus it can be used broadly. The QTY code has implications for designing additional G protein-coupled receptors and other membrane proteins or, potentially, for rendering water-insoluble and aggregated proteins soluble.
Propositionalism about intention: shifting the burden of proof
Authors: Campbell Lucy
Published: August 2018

A widespread view in the philosophy of mind and action holds that intentions are propositional attitudes. Call this view ‘Propositionalism about Intention’. The key alternative holds that intentions have acts, or do-ables, as their contents. Propositionalism is typically accepted by default, rather than argued for in any detail. By appealing to a key metaphysical constraint on any account of intention, I argue that on the contrary, it is the Do-ables View which deserves the status of the default position, and Propositionalism which bears the burden of proof. I go on to show that this burden has not been met in the literature.
Mapping 3D genome organization relative to nuclear compartments using TSA-Seq as a cytological ruler
Authors: Chen Yu , Zhang Yang , Wang Yuchuan , Zhang Liguo , Brinkman Eva K. , Adam Stephen A. , Goldman Robert , van Steensel Bas , Ma Jian , Belmont Andrew S.
Published: August 2018

While nuclear compartmentalization is an essential feature of three-dimensional genome organization, no genomic method exists for measuring chromosome distances to defined nuclear structures. In this study, we describe TSA-Seq, a new mapping method capable of providing a “cytological ruler” for estimating mean chromosomal distances from nuclear speckles genome-wide and for predicting several Mbp chromosome trajectories between nuclear compartments without sophisticated computational modeling. Ensemble-averaged results in K562 cells reveal a clear nuclear lamina to speckle axis correlated with a striking spatial gradient in genome activity. This gradient represents a convolution of multiple spatially separated nuclear domains including two types of transcription “hot zones.” Transcription hot zones protruding furthest into the nuclear interior and positioning deterministically very close to nuclear speckles have higher numbers of total genes, the most highly expressed genes, housekeeping genes, genes with low transcriptional pausing, and super-enhancers. Our results demonstrate the capability of TSA-Seq for genome-wide mapping of nuclear structure and suggest a new model for spatial organization of transcription and gene expression.
Research partnerships between Coca-Cola and health organizations in Spain
Authors: Rey-López Juan Pablo , Gonzalez Carlos A
Published: August 2018

Background

The reduction of soda intake in the population remains an important goal to improve population health. Concerns exist about how industry-sponsored studies in nutrition tend to favour the interest of the sponsor. We describe the scope of partnerships between Coca-Cola and health organizations in Spain, examining marketing strategies contained in scientific papers funded by Coca-Cola.

Methods

Funding for health organizations in Spain during 2010–2016 was retrieved of the Coca-Cola transparency list. We systematically searched research projects and publications (by PubMed) of all the recipient organizations. In addition, we characterize the research agenda and the level of alignment of sponsored authors with marketing strategies used by Coca-Cola.

Results

A total of 74 health organizations received funding from Coca-Cola between 2010 and 2016. Nutritional and cardiology organizations received the highest financial support. A total of 20 articles derived of two research projects were identified. Most publications (14 out of 20) were aligned with marketing strategies used by Coca-Cola (e.g. focusing on physical inactivity as the main cause of obesity). Authors identified did not disclose having previous conflicts of interest.

Conclusion

In Spain, numerous health organizations receive financial support from Coca-Cola. We provide evidence that research funded by this beverage company is serving its commercial objectives that, in many cases, are at odds with efforts to improve population health. Problems with transparency among authors and the recipient organizations imply that we are offering very conservative estimates about the impact of this company on public health.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Authors: Froman Wayne , Almog Meirav
Published: August 2018

Merleau-Ponty (b. 1908–d. 1961) was a major 20th-century French philosopher and contributor to phenomenology. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure from 1926 to 1930, received the aggrégation in philosophy in 1930 and the Docteur ès lettres in 1945. After early teaching largely in psychology, culminating with a Sorbonne appointment as professor of child psychology and pedagogy, he was elected in 1952 to the Chair in Philosophy at the Collège de France, as the youngest philosopher ever in this position, which he held until his death. His inaugural lecture was published as Éloge de la philosophie (In Praise of Philosophy). In 1945, Merleau-Ponty became, along with Raymond Aron, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre, a founding editorial board member as well as political editor of Les temps modernes, a journal devoted to “la philosophie engagée.” In 1953 he resigned from the journal. After the Korean conflict, Merleau-Ponty’s political difference with Sartre was acute, and in Les aventures de la dialectique (Adventures of the Dialectic) Merleau-Ponty characterizes Sartre’s position as “ultra-bolshevism.” Eventually, Merleau-Ponty would relinquish Marxist tenets. Merleau-Ponty’s first book, La structure du comportement (The Structure of Behavior), from 1942, is largely a critique of behavioral psychology as lacking a-propos, his stated goal, understanding the relation between nature and consciousness. His second and major completed book is La phénoménologie de la perception (Phenomenology of Perception). In this work Merleau-Ponty undermines classical theories of perception, which rely on “sense data”; introduces his understanding of the “lived body”; accentuates Husserl’s remark that consciousness is initially a matter of an “I can,” not an “I think”; and introduces a gestural analysis of language. While affirming Eugen Fink’s observation that there is no total “reduction” phenomenologically, Merleau-Ponty proceeds under the “epochē,” nonetheless. When he died, Merleau-Ponty was writing what would have been a book of major proportions. The material that he completed was posthumously published as Le visible et l’invisible (The Visible and the Invisible), a title from working notes that were published with it. Critical discussions of reflective philosophy, dialectic, and intuition precede a decidedly ontological project involving: “la chair” (the “flesh”), successor to Phenomenology of Perception’s “lived body,” through which “I live the world”; “reversibility,” the perceptual dynamic operative in our habitation of the world; and “the chiasm” or “intertwining” of different contexts, such as vision and motility. L’oeil et l’esprit (Eye and Mind), intended for inclusion in The Visible and the Invisible but published separately, addresses exploration of these factors in painting.