bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Tenacity of Spiritual Healing and Seeing
Authors: Pelkmans Mathijs
Published: December 2017

This chapter examines changes in the field of spiritual healing and seeing in Kokjangak. It first provides an overview of the proliferation of spiritual practices in the post-Soviet period before discussing the uncertainty of the position of spiritual practitioners in Kokjangak. It shows that the foundation of spiritual healing and seeing in Kokjangak was unstable, in part because the actions of jinns (ghosts or spirits) and the effects of mediation were themselves unpredictable. It also discusses the discourses and actions of spiritual healers, their clientele, and other actors to demonstrate how the believability of spiritual healers and clairvoyants is socially mediated and experientially constituted.
The Frontline City
Authors: Blobaum Robert
Published: December 2017

This chapter focuses on the war's first year and the last year of Russia's imperial presence in the city. During this year, Warsaw was a frontline city and the setting for experiences that were not repeated following the Russian evacuation, although they indeed had long-term impacts. Artillery bombardment in and from the city suburbs, aerial bombing, scorched-earth demolitions and explosions, and exchanges of fire across the Vistula between departing Russians and entering Germans were loud and visible reminders of Warsaw's exposure to the fighting. So, too, was the constant movement of people and things. These occurred amidst rumors of various kinds, spy scares, and reports of miracles typical of a state of siege mentality, even though the city was actually spared a siege.
Wartime Crisis Management and Its Failure
Authors: Blobaum Robert
Published: December 2017

This chapter looks at the Warsaw Citizens Committee, which emerged in August 1914 to assist in the basic provisioning of the city, finding work for the unemployed, assisting the families of military reservists called up to the Russian Army, and mobilizing financial resources to deal with the war's expected hardships. Those hardships, however, would be far greater than anticipated, leading to a rapid expansion of the committee's activities. Soon enough, the committee found itself involved in the organization of public kitchens, the sheltering of refugees, the setting of price controls, the monitoring of public health, and the protection of children. Eventually, with so many of Warsaw's inhabitants relying partially or completely on public support, escalating needs outstripped the city's financial resources. By the end of the war, a bankrupted city administration was unable to pay its own employees, let alone feed some two hundred thousand people in the public kitchens inherited from the Warsaw Citizens Committee.
Poles and Jews
Authors: Blobaum Robert
Published: December 2017

This chapter addresses the impact of the war on relations between Warsaw's two principal and competing national groups, Poles and Jews, by exploring themes that take into account the dramatically different attitudes of the Russian and German regimes toward the Jewish population. To be sure, the actions of the Russian Army were largely responsible for the large Jewish refugee population in the city during the first part of the war, one of the main contributing factors to Polish–Jewish tensions. By contrast, the principal goal of the German occupation regime was to maintain stability, which required a balancing act between Poles and Jews in Warsaw—an approach that many Poles interpreted as serving Jewish interests.
Suburb
Authors: Hanson Royce
Published: December 2017

Land use policy is at the center of suburban political economies because everything has to happen somewhere but nothing happens by itself. This book explores how well a century of strategic land-use decisions served the public interest in Montgomery County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Transformed from a rural hinterland into the home of a million people and a half-million jobs, Montgomery County built a national reputation for innovation in land use policy—including inclusive zoning, linking zoning to master plans, preservation of farmland and open space, growth management, and transit-oriented development. A pervasive theme of the book involves the struggle for influence over land use policy between two virtual suburban republics. Developers, their business allies, and sympathetic officials sought a virtuous cycle of market-guided growth in which land was a commodity and residents were customers who voted with their feet. Homeowners, environmentalists, and their allies saw themselves as citizens and stakeholders with moral claims on the way development occurred and made their wishes known at the ballot box. This book evaluates how well the development pattern produced by decades of planning decisions served the public interest.
Introduction
Authors: Orbach Danny
Published: December 2017

This book examines the culture of rebellion and resistance in the Imperial Japanese Army. Drawing on fifteen archives in four different countries, along with other sources such as letter collections, testimonies, police transcripts, court documents, diplomatic cables, historical newspapers, memoirs, and interviews, the book refutes the notion that Imperial Japanese soldiers were blindly and unconditionally obedient to authority. It presents evidence showing that the Imperial Japanese Army was arguably one of the most disobedient armed forces in modern history. Indeed, it was normal for Imperial Japanese soldiers to rebel, resist, assassinate, and conspire. The book traces Japan's history of military insubordination to bolster its argument that rebelliousness was an integral part of Japanese military life from the 1860s to the 1930s.
Pure as Water
Authors: Orbach Danny
Published: December 2017

This chapter examines the February coup d'état of 1936, also known as the February Incident, and how it exposed the limits of violent military insubordination in Japan. On February 26, 1936, a group of radical lieutenants and captains mobilized 1,400 soldiers, took over large parts of central Tokyo, and launched attacks on several prominent leaders. When the army minister, General Kawashima Yoshiyuki, asked Captain Yamaguchi Ichitarō, a company commander in the First Infantry Regiment, what to do, the latter replied that it was Kawashima's prerogative to decide whether the mutinous troops were “righteous” or “rebellious.” The chapter first considers the Young Officers movement and their involvement in two events, the May Incident and the Military Academy Incident, before discussing the coup of February 1936 led by Lieutenant Nakahashi Motoaki. It also analyzes Emperor Hirohito's interventions in the coup and concludes with a commentary on the trial and punishment of the rebels.
The Dreadful and the Trivial
Authors: Orbach Danny
Published: December 2017

This book has shown how a culture of insubordination, an ideological pattern of rebellion and resistance, developed as a constant feature of Japanese military life from the Meiji Restoration onward. Tracing its roots in the shishi culture of the late Tokugawa period, military insubordination persisted into the 1870s and reached new heights during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. It broke into two independent components: elite resistance to state policy and the shishi tradition of the mixed gangs. The book concludes with a discussion of three “bugs” that allowed the Imperial Japanese Army's rebellious culture to grow, prosper, and radicalize with the passing years: the first bug was the hazy political legitimacy of the Meiji regime; the second was the one-way nature of territorial expansion; and the third was the endless nature of territorial expansion.
Christmas in Summer
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author talks about the midsummer Christmas celebrated at the wards of the field hospital. He first discusses patrol-free days, which give insurgents plenty of opportunity to dig in new explosives, meaning that the next few days can be particularly dangerous as troops struggle to identify freshly upturned soil in an otherwise familiar, arid terrain not helped by the wind blowing topsoil all across it. He then turns to the day's casualties, which include three American soldiers, two of whom were victims of gunshot wounds; an eight-year-old girl who had been intubated inflight with an endotracheal tube; an Afghan double amputee; and a badly burned baby with a contagious infection. The author also mentions a major military campaign that was scheduled to be launched in forty-eight hours' time; the hospital had been warned to expect up to sixteen new casualties per day.
Kandahar
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author talks about the day he was invited to join one of the doctors on a flight to Kandahar to witness the handover of three Afghan casualties to the local health care system. He first discusses the so-called “humpback day” for one of the doctors, or the day that marked the midpoint of his six-week tour. Doctors arrived and departed unaccompanied, whereas nurses came and left en masse to give way to a brand-new cohort in a formal handover ceremony before their twenty-four-hour decompression in Cyprus. Camaraderie has always been a strong feature of military life and especially in the theater of war. The author then turns to the day's casualties, who were to be dropped off at Kandahar Military Regional Hospital, called Camp Hero. He also narrates his flight back to Camp Bastion together with other passengers that included three insurgents, bound and blindfolded.
Way to Start Your Day
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author talks about the day's first casualties to arrive: three children and an adult. The children, who had stumbled on an explosive while playing outside, did not make it to the operating room and were prematurely brought to Camp Bastion's morgue. Other casualties were two badly burned Afghans—the first registered at 53 percent burns, the second at 48 percent. Anything over 35 percent is not normally considered survivable in Afghanistan, so such patients are immediately given palliative care. Both also perished. Around midday, a couple of U.S. marines with relatively minor injuries arrived by Pedro. The remainder of the day was quiet until a man with a hole in his head returned some 48 hours earlier than anticipated from a rendezvous with Kandahar's neurosurgeon. The next morning, the author woke up with no inkling that it was his last day in Camp Bastion.
The United States
Authors: Sharman J. C.
Published: December 2017

This chapter begins by tracing the origins of the anti-kleptocracy cause in the United States, starting with the harsh Cold War environment and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. It explores the status quo ante of dictators being able to launder their funds in the US financial system with impunity immediately before and after the turn of the century. At this time, there was no law prohibiting American banks and other institutions receiving the proceeds of foreign corruption. The USA Patriot Act closed this legal loophole, yet practice lagged, and laws at first failed to have much of an impact. More recent cases indicate at least partial effectiveness, however, with instances of successful prevention and some looted wealth confiscated and returned.
The United Kingdom
Authors: Sharman J. C.
Published: December 2017

This chapter examines the experiences of the United Kingdom in hosting, tracing, and returning the proceeds of grand corruption from abroad. Public top-level political commitment to the anti-kleptocracy norm has translated into only very partial policy effectiveness. The British government then took a close interest in the issue of asset recovery subsequently at home and in multilateral settings. It instituted a program that may serve as something of a model for other countries to follow, whereby development aid money is used to track down looted assets in London. The chapter explains that a sincere normative commitment by successive prime ministers to development-related campaigns against international corruption has led to important and innovative policies to track foreign kleptocrats' wealth in Britain.
Friendship between Chieftains
Authors: Sigurðsson Jón Viðar
Published: December 2017

This chapter addresses the friendship between chieftains. In Iceland, from the time of the settlement (c.870–930) until the end of the Free State, power slowly became concentrated in fewer and fewer lands. In the whole of this period, friendships between chieftains played a decisive role in the power game. They used friendship to enter into alliances with each other and in attempts to neutralize and outdo their rivals. The chapter then focuses on the relations of friendship between Icelandic chieftains in the Sturlung Age, the time between 1220 and 1262–64. During this period, a new player entered the political game: the Norwegian king.
The Burden of Patriarchy
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This chapter details how disastrous weather conditions hit Mongolia between 1999 and 2002, throwing thousands of herders into sudden poverty and leading many of them to the mines. Yet many of Uyanga's herders who managed to sustain their large herds were also attracted to the mining camps. Focusing on these wealthy herding households, the chapter shows how patriarchal relations affected people's everyday lives. It also illustrates how “following gold” is seen to offer a viable source of income that is relatively independent of the hierarchical power dynamics in Uyanga's herding economy. In this light, the gold rush is a pressing reality that offers an alternative way of life that appeals to many.
The Power of Gold
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This chapter describes how the involvement in mining is seen as a fundamentally different and incompatible way of life rather than a complementary option to nomadic pastoralism. It also examines how the invisible dust known as the power of gold (altny chadvar), which emerges during the extraction of heavy and dangerous gold, draws people—sometimes against their own will—to the mining camps. This invisible dust can be transferred onto others through physical contact or reputedly manipulated through cursing rituals. Eventually, ever since the first mining company broke the soil and initiated large-scale gold mining, the gold rush has evolved into an unstoppable force that even national activists feel unable to bring to a halt.
Polluted Money
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This chapter studies local understandings of wealth, specifically the relationship between pastoral wealth and gold money. The dangers surrounding mining are transferred onto the money object itself upon its sale to resident gold traders. As a vector of pollution, money circulates as a material objectification of potential calamity. When using dirty money notes associated with the mines, people face a local redenomination and de facto lower purchasing power when spreading their money. Although the gold rush has enriched ninjas, the cash value of their money is intimately tied to its materiality in local moral understandings of value. The chapter thus shows how the booming mining economy has given rise to fears of circulating misfortune, irrespective of people's own ties to the mines.
Wealth and Devotion
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This chapter discusses how local Buddhist lamas have become involved in the gold rush. Within Mahayana Buddhism, mining is considered emblematic of violent acts and self-interest that infringe upon the desired relationship between people and the environment. Ninjas thus often call upon monastic religious specialists to carry out appeasement ceremonies and other rituals in the gold mines and in the village monastery. With most of their ritual services now directly related to the extraction of minerals, the monastery receives large amounts of gold money. This wealth is much welcomed as it helps sustain the village monastery to an extent that the monastery has never experienced before. Yet as junior lamas struggle to afford their monastic service, they have started to raise the issue of money's distribution within the monastery.
Trading Gold
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This concluding chapter looks at the gold traders who take part in economic circuits that are oriented away from the mines and toward the yuan of their Chinese trading partners within Asia's illegal gold trade. For them, the intersection of gold wealth with international money flows is conducive to the transformation of their “lifeless” earnings into profitable and productive currency. Holding and handling unmatched quantities, they quickly reinvest their “renewed” money into the gold trade or a business venture. Often transformed into visible, material wealth, money from the illegal gold trade thus offers a competing topography of wealth that is based not on the accumulation of fortune in livestock but on risk taking and business acumen.
Conclusion
Authors: Posecznick Alex
Published: December 2017

This concluding chapter sketches a fuller picture of life in institutions such as Ravenwood—disciplined by market and merit. Despite faculty stereotypes, administrators were not universally malicious, incompetent, apathetic, or obsessed only with dollars. Administrators can be a convenient symbol of the corporatization of higher education in the last forty years, and certainly, university administration has been radically transformed over the course of the twentieth century. The chapter also discusses how the confluence of metrics position Ravenwood College and the value of its credential in a particular place in the hierarchy and what the consequences are for how it operates. The ways that administrators interacted with numbers, deployed persuasive scripts, moved individuals through the admission funnel, and handled Ravenwood's financial precarity were partly a logical way to handle their position in the meritocracy.
What Is to Be Done?
Authors: Norris Pippa
Published: December 2017

The evidence points to a range of enduring problems in American elections. However, most attempts to strengthen US elections involve piecemeal reforms, often worthwhile but technical in nature. What is needed is a more comprehensive wholesale plan addressing systematic and structural weaknesses at the heart of American elections. This chapter discusses practical steps designed to improve American electoral procedures and practices. These include: reforming electoral regulations for registration and balloting; building more impartial, independent, and professional electoral management bodies; monitoring performance and expanding transparency through electoral observers, developing comparative and state-level indicators, and strengthening watchdog agencies; strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms and oversight agencies.
Sustainable computational science: the ReScience initiative
Authors: Rougier Nicolas P. , Hinsen Konrad , Alexandre Frédéric , Arildsen Thomas , Barba Lorena A. , Benureau Fabien C.Y. , Brown C. Titus , de Buyl Pierre , Caglayan Ozan , Davison Andrew P. , Delsuc Marc-André , Detorakis Georgios , Diem Alexandra K. , Drix Damien , Enel Pierre , Girard Benoît , Guest Olivia , Hall Matt G. , Henriques Rafael N. , Hinaut Xavier , Jaron Kamil S. , Khamassi Mehdi , Klein Almar , Manninen Tiina , Marchesi Pietro , McGlinn Daniel , Metzner Christoph , Petchey Owen , Plesser Hans Ekkehard , Poisot Timothée , Ram Karthik , Ram Yoav , Roesch Etienne , Rossant Cyrille , Rostami Vahid , Shifman Aaron , Stachelek Jemma , Stimberg Marcel , Stollmeier Frank , Vaggi Federico , Viejo Guillaume , Vitay Julien , Vostinar Anya E. , Yurchak Roman , Zito Tiziano
Published: December 2017

Computer science offers a large set of tools for prototyping, writing, running, testing, validating, sharing and reproducing results; however, computational science lags behind. In the best case, authors may provide their source code as a compressed archive and they may feel confident their research is reproducible. But this is not exactly true. James Buckheit and David Donoho proposed more than two decades ago that an article about computational results is advertising, not scholarship. The actual scholarship is the full software environment, code, and data that produced the result. This implies new workflows, in particular in peer-reviews. Existing journals have been slow to adapt: source codes are rarely requested and are hardly ever actually executed to check that they produce the results advertised in the article. ReScience is a peer-reviewed journal that targets computational research and encourages the explicit replication of already published research, promoting new and open-source implementations in order to ensure that the original research can be replicated from its description. To achieve this goal, the whole publishing chain is radically different from other traditional scientific journals. ReScience resides on GitHub where each new implementation of a computational study is made available together with comments, explanations, and software tests.
Estimating the Cross‐Shelf Export of Riverine Materials: Part 1. General Relationships From an Idealized Numerical Model
Authors: Izett Jonathan G. , Fennel Katja
Published: December 2017

Rivers deliver large amounts of terrestrially derived materials (such as nutrients, sediments, and pollutants) to the coastal ocean, but a global quantification of the fate of this delivery is lacking. Nutrients can accumulate on shelves, potentially driving high levels of primary production with negative consequences like hypoxia, or be exported across the shelf to the open ocean where impacts are minimized. Global biogeochemical models cannot resolve the relatively small‐scale processes governing river plume dynamics and cross‐shelf export; instead, river inputs are often parameterized assuming an “all or nothing” approach. Recently, Sharples et al. (2017), https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005483 proposed the SP number—a dimensionless number relating the estimated size of a plume as a function of latitude to the local shelf width—as a simple estimator of cross‐shelf export. We extend their work, which is solely based on theoretical and empirical scaling arguments, and address some of its limitations using a numerical model of an idealized river plume. In a large number of simulations, we test whether the SP number can accurately describe export in unforced cases and with tidal and wind forcings imposed. Our numerical experiments confirm that the SP number can be used to estimate export and enable refinement of the quantitative relationships proposed by Sharples et al. We show that, in general, external forcing has only a weak influence compared to latitude and derive empirical relationships from the results of the numerical experiments that can be used to estimate riverine freshwater export to the open ocean.
Seismoacoustic Coupled Signals From Earthquakes in Central Italy: Epicentral and Secondary Sources of Infrasound
Authors: Shani‐Kadmiel Shahar , Assink Jelle D. , Smets Pieter S. M. , Evers Läslo G.
Published: December 2017

In this study we analyze infrasound signals from three earthquakes in central Italy. The Mw 6.0 Amatrice, Mw 5.9 Visso, and Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquakes generated significant epicentral ground motions that couple to the atmosphere and produce infrasonic waves. Epicentral seismic and infrasonic signals are detected at I26DE; however, a third type of signal, which arrives after the seismic wave train and before the epicentral infrasound signal, is also detected. This peculiar signal propagates across the array at acoustic wave speeds, but the celerity associated with it is 3 times the speed of sound. Atmosphere‐independent backprojections and full 3‐D ray tracing using atmospheric conditions of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts are used to demonstrate that this apparently fast‐arriving infrasound signal originates from ground motions more than 400 km away from the epicenter. The location of the secondary infrasound patch coincides with the closest bounce point to I26DE as depicted by ray tracing backprojections.
On the Fragile Relationship Between El Niño and California Rainfall
Authors: Lee Sang‐Ki , Lopez Hosmay , Chung Eui‐Seok , DiNezio Pedro , Yeh Sang‐Wook , Wittenberg Andrew T.
Published: December 2017

The failed influence of the 2015–2016 El Niño on California rainfall has renewed interest in the relationship between El Niño and U.S. rainfall variability. Here we perform statistical data analyses and simple model experiments to show that sufficiently warm and persistent sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the far eastern equatorial Pacific are required to excite an anomalous cyclone in the North Pacific that extends to the east across the U.S. West Coast and thus increases rainfall over California. Among the four most frequently recurring El Niño patterns considered in this study, only the persistent El Niño, which is often characterized by the warm SSTAs in the far eastern equatorial Pacific persisting throughout the winter and spring, is linked to such extratropical teleconnection patterns and significantly increased rainfall over the entire state of California. During the last 69 years, only three of the 25 El Niño events (i.e., 1957–1958, 1982–1983, and 1997–1998) are clearly identified as the persistent El Niño. In addition, the monthly rainfall variance explained by El Niño is less than half that caused by internal variability during the 25 El Niño. Therefore, the rarity of persistent El Niño events combined with the large influence of internal variability effectively explains the fragile relationship between El Niño and California rainfall.
Height Dependency of Aerosol‐Cloud Interaction Regimes
Authors: Chen Jingyi , Liu Yangang , Zhang Minghua , Peng Yiran
Published: December 2017

This study investigates the height dependency of aerosol‐cloud interaction regimes in terms of the joint dependence of the key cloud microphysical properties (e.g., cloud droplet number concentration and cloud droplet relative dispersion) on aerosol number concentration (Na) and vertical velocity (w). The three distinct regimes with different microphysical features are the aerosol‐limited regime, the updraft‐limited regime, and the transitional regime. The results reveal two new phenomena in updraft‐limited regime: (1) the “condensational broadening” of cloud droplet size distribution in contrast to the well‐known “condensational narrowing” in the aerosol‐limited regime and (2) above the level of maximum supersaturation; some cloud droplets are deactivated into interstitial aerosols in the updraft‐limited regime, whereas all droplets remain activated in the aerosol‐limited regime. Further analysis shows that the particle equilibrium supersaturation plays important role in understanding these unique features. Also examined is the height of warm rain initiation and its dependence on Na and w. The rain initiation height is found to depend primarily on either Na or w or both in different Na‐w regimes, suggesting a strong regime dependence of the second aerosol indirect effect.
Personality correlates of revenge‐seeking: Multidimensional links to physical aggression, impulsivity, and aggressive pleasure
Authors: Chester David S. , DeWall C. Nathan
Published: December 2017

People differ in how much they seek retribution for interpersonal insults, slights, rejections, and other antagonistic actions. Identifying individuals who are most prone towards such revenge‐seeking is a theoretically‐informative and potentially violence‐reducing endeavor. However, we have yet to understand the extent to which revenge‐seeking individuals exhibit specific features of aggressiveness, impulsivity, and what motivates their hunt for retribution. Toward this end, we conducted three studies (total N = 673), in which revenge‐seeking was measured alongside these other constructs. Analyses repeatedly demonstrated that revenge‐seeking was associated with greater physical (but not verbal) aggressiveness, anger, and hostility. Revenge‐seeking's link to physical aggression was partially accounted for by impulses toward enjoying aggression and the tendency to use aggression to improve mood. Dominance analyses revealed that sadism explained the most variance in revenge‐seeking. Revenge‐seeking was associated with greater impulsive responses to negative and positive affect, as well as greater premeditation of behavior. These findings paint a picture of revenge‐seekers as physically aggressive curators of anger, whose retributive acts are performed with planned malice and motivated by the act's entertaining and therapeutic qualities.
Inhibition of the potassium channel Kv1.3 reduces infarction and inflammation in ischemic stroke
Authors: Chen Yi‐Je , Nguyen Hai M. , Maezawa Izumi , Jin Lee‐Way , Wulff Heike
Published: December 2017

Objective

Inhibitors of the voltage‐gated K+ channel Kv1.3 are currently in development as immunomodulators for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. As Kv1.3 is also expressed on microglia and has been shown to be specifically up‐regulated on “M1‐like” microglia, we here tested the therapeutic hypothesis that the brain‐penetrant small‐molecule Kv1.3‐inhibitor PAP‐1 reduces secondary inflammatory damage after ischemia/reperfusion.

Methods

We studied microglial Kv1.3 expression using electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry, and evaluated PAP‐1 in hypoxia‐exposed organotypic hippocampal slices and in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with 8 days of reperfusion in both adult male C57BL/6J mice (60 min MCAO) and adult male Wistar rats (90 min MCAO). In both models, PAP‐1 administration was started 12 h after reperfusion.

Results

We observed Kv1.3 staining on activated microglia in ischemic infarcts in mice, rats, and humans and found higher Kv1.3 current densities in acutely isolated microglia from the infarcted hemisphere than in microglia isolated from the contralateral hemisphere of MCAO mice. PAP‐1 reduced microglia activation and increased neuronal survival in hypoxia‐exposed hippocampal slices as effectively as minocycline. In mouse MCAO, PAP‐1 dose‐dependently reduced infarct area, improved neurological deficit score, and reduced brain levels of IL‐1β and IFN‐γ without affecting IL‐10 and brain‐derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) levels or inhibiting ongoing phagocytosis. The beneficial effects on infarct area and neurological deficit score were reproduced in rats providing confirmation in a second species.

Interpretation

Our findings suggest that Kv1.3 constitutes a promising therapeutic target for preferentially inhibiting “M1‐like” inflammatory microglia/macrophage functions in ischemic stroke.
The Misfit Dislocation Core Phase in Complex Oxide Heteroepitaxy
Authors: Bagués Núria , Santiso José , Esser Bryan D. , Williams Robert E. A. , McComb Dave W. , Konstantinovic Zorica , Balcells Lluís , Sandiumenge Felip
Published: December 2017

Misfit dislocations form self‐organized nanoscale linear defects exhibiting their own distinct structural, chemical, and physical properties which, particularly in complex oxides, hold a strong potential for the development of nanodevices. However, the transformation of such defects from passive into potentially active functional elements necessitates a deep understanding of the particular mechanisms governing their formation. Here, different atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopic techniques are combined to determine the complex structure of misfit dislocations in the perovskite type La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/LaAlO3 heteroepitaxial system. It is found that while the position of the film–substrate interface is blurred by cation intermixing, oxygen vacancies selectively accumulate at the tensile region of the dislocation strain field. Such accumulation of vacancies is accompanied by the reduction of manganese cations in the same area, inducing chemical expansion effects, which partly accommodate the dislocation strain. The formation of oxygen vacancies is only partially electrically compensated and results in a positive net charge q ≈ +0.3 ± 0.1 localized in the tensile region of the dislocation, while the compressive region remains neutral. The results highlight a prototypical core model for perovskite‐based heteroepitaxial systems and offer insights for predictive manipulation of misfit dislocation properties.
Superelastic and Arbitrary‐Shaped Graphene Aerogels with Sacrificial Skeleton of Melamine Foam for Varied Applications
Authors: Li Chenwei , Jiang Degang , Liang Hui , Huo Bingbing , Liu Chenyang , Yang Wenrong , Liu Jingquan
Published: December 2017

Elastic graphene aerogels are lightweight and offer excellent and electrical performance, expanding their significance in many applications. Recently, elastic graphene aerogels have been fabricated via various methods. However, for most reported elastic graphene aerogels, the fabrication processes are complicated and the applications are usually limited by the brittle mechanical properties. Thus, it still remains a challenge to explore facile processes for the fabrication of graphene aerogels with low density and high compressibility. Herein, arbitrary‐shaped, superelastic, and durable graphene aerogels are fabricated using melamine foam as sacrificial skeleton. The resulting graphene aerogels possess high elasticity under compressive stress of 0.556 MPa and compressive strain of 95%. Thanks to the superelasticity, high strength, excellent flexibility, outstanding thermal stability, and good electrical conductivity of graphene aerogels, they can be applied in sorbents and pressure/strain sensors. The as‐assembled graphene aerogels can adsorb various organic solvents at 176–513 g g−1 depending on the solvent type and density. Moreover, both the squeezing and combustion methods can be adopted for reusing the graphene aerogels. Finally, the graphene aerogels exhibit stable and sensitive current responses, making them the ideal candidates for applications as multifunctional pressure/strain sensors such as wearable devices.
Nature‐Inspired Metallic Networks for Transparent Electrodes
Authors: Gao Jinwei , Xian Zhike , Zhou Guofu , Liu Jun‐Ming , Kempa Krzysztof
Published: December 2017

Nature offers structural solutions to various optimization problems. For example, an optimal, low‐shedding water transport at various scales is achieved with quasi‐fractal structures, shown to be close to optimal. In a series of projects, metallic network analogs of some of these solutions to make high‐efficiency transparent conductors are studied. Specifically, transparent conductors are developed by directly metalizing leaf venations, spider webs, and other organic fibers. Also, the natural process of self‐cracking, similar to that occurring in the mud of dried‐out riverbeds, is employed to develop masks for metallic network fabrications. These comprehensive studies and developments contributed to, and in some cases initiate new directions in the field of network transparent conductors. These structures offer performance exceeding those of conventional oxide‐based films, while providing a possibility of reduced processing expense. This paper provides a concise, comparative review of this study and other groups' efforts in recent years. In the context of applications, the performance criteria are defined, and with those as a guideline, practicality of the most promising networks is discussed.
Facile Synthesis of Blocky SiOx/C with Graphite‐Like Structure for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes
Authors: Xu Quan , Sun Jian‐Kun , Yin Ya‐Xia , Guo Yu‐Guo
Published: December 2017

SiOx‐containing graphite composites have aroused great interests as the most promising alternatives for practical application in high‐performance lithium‐ion batteries. However, limited loading amount of SiOx on the surface of graphite and some inherent disadvantages of SiOx such as huge volume variation and poor electronic conductivity result in unsatisfactory electrochemical performance. Herein, a novel and facile fabrication approach is developed to synthesize high‐performance SiOx/C composites with graphite‐like structure in which SiOx particles are dispersed and anchored in the carbon materials by restoring original structure of artificial graphite. The multicomponent carbon materials are favorable for addressing the disadvantages of SiOx‐based anodes, especially for the formation of stable solid electrolyte interphase, maintaining structural integrity of electrode materials and improving electrical conductivity of electrode. The resultant SiOx/C anodes demonstrate high reversible capacities (645 mA h g−1), excellent cycling stability (≈90% capacity retention for 500 cycles), and superior rate capabilities. Even at high pressing density (1.3 g cm−3), SiOx/C anodes still present superior cycling performance due to the high tap density and structural integrity of electrode materials. The proposed synthetic method can also be developed to address other anode materials with inferior electronic conductivity and huge volume variation.
Porphyrinic Metal–Organic Frameworks Coated Gold Nanorods as a Versatile Nanoplatform for Combined Photodynamic/Photothermal/Chemotherapy of Tumor
Authors: Zeng Jin‐Yue , Zhang Ming‐Kang , Peng Meng‐Yun , Gong Dan , Zhang Xian‐Zheng
Published: December 2017

In this paper, a simple, but effective method is reported to construct the core−shell gold nanorod@metal–organic frameworks (AuNR@MOFs) as a multifunctional theranostic platform by using functionalized AuNRs as seed crystal for the growth of porphyrinic MOFs on the surface of AuNR. Such a delicate tunable core−shell composite not only possesses the improved drug loading efficiency, near‐infrared light‐trigger drug release, and fluorescence imaging, but also can produce reactive oxygen species as well as photothermal activity to achieve combined cancer therapy. It is further demonstrated that the camptothecin loaded AuNR@MOFs show distinctively synergistic efficiency for damaging the cancer cell in vitro and inhibiting the tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. The development of this high‐performance incorporated nanostructure will provide more perspectives in the design of versatile nanomaterials for biomedical applications.
Rational Design of Tumor Microenvironment‐Activated Micelles for Programed Targeting of Breast Cancer Metastasis
Authors: He Bin , Tan Tao , Wang Hong , Hu Haiyan , Wang Zhiwan , Wang Jing , Li Jie , Sun Kaoxiang , Zhang Zhiwen , Li Yaping
Published: December 2017

The poor drug delivery to primary and metastatic tumors of breast cancer remains a great challenge for effective antimetastasis therapy. Herein, a tumor microenvironment‐activated cabazitaxel micelles decorated with legumain‐specific melittin (TCM‐legM) are rationally designed for programed targeting of breast cancer metastasis. TCM‐legM is quiescent in blood circulation, but can be specifically activated by the highly expressed legumain in tumor microenvironments to improve their specific targeting and deep penetrating to primary or metastatic tumors. Thereafter, the activated TCM‐legM can be efficiently internalized by cancer cells and motivate the rapid pH‐responsive drug release for antimetastasis therapy. In metastatic 4T1 breast cancer cells, TCM‐legM presents significant inhibition on the proliferation, migration, and invasion activities. In vivo, TCM‐legM can be effectively delivered to both primary and metastatic tumors of breast cancer with deep tumor penetration and efficient cellular internalization, thereby resulting in a notable reduction of tumor growth and producing a 93.4% suppression of lung metastasis. Taken together, the rationally designed TCM‐legM can provide an intelligent drug delivery strategy to enhance the medical performance on treating breast cancer metastasis.
Fully Printed Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells Utilizing Biocompatible Materials
Authors: Zimmermann Johannes , Porcarelli Luca , Rödlmeier Tobias , Sanchez‐Sanchez Ana , Mecerreyes David , Hernandez‐Sosa Gerardo
Published: December 2017

The use of biomaterials and bioinspired concepts in electronics will enable the fabrication of transient and disposable technologies within areas ranging from smart packaging and advertisement to healthcare applications. In this work, the use of a nonhalogenated biodegradable solid polymer electrolyte based on poly(ε‐caprolactone‐co‐trimethylene carbonate) and tetrabutylammonium bis‐oxalato borate in light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) is presented. It is shown that the spin‐cast devices exhibit current efficiencies of ≈2 cd A−1 with luminance over ≈12 000 cd m−2, an order of magnitude higher than previous bio‐based LECs. By a combination of industrially relevant techniques (i.e., inkjet printing and blade coating), the fabrication of LEC devices on a cellulose‐based flexible biodegradable substrate showing lifetimes compatible with transient applications is demonstrated. The presented results have direct implications toward the industrial manufacturing of biomaterial‐based light‐emitting devices with potential use in future biodegradable/biocompatible electronics.
Influence of the Nature of A Cation on Dynamics of Charge Transfer Processes in Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Yadav Pankaj , Alotaibi Mohammad Hayal , Arora Neha , Dar M. Ibrahim , Zakeeruddin Shaik Mohammed , Grätzel Michael
Published: December 2017

The electronic processes occurring within the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are strongly influenced by the nature of the organic A cations present within the inorganic framework. In this study, the impact of FA (CH(NH2)2+) and Cs+ cations on the intrinsic and interfacial properties in the FAPbBr3 and CsPbBr3 PSCs is investigated. The analysis of current density (JSC) and photovoltage (VOC) as a function of illumination intensity establishes that the interfacial charge transport is more rapid in FAPbBr3 devices. Small perturbation measurements including intensity modulated photocurrent and photovoltage spectroscopy are applied to explore the resistive and capacitive elements. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements are found to correlate well with the photovoltaic characteristics of FAPbBr3 and CsPbBr3 PSCs. Overall, the in‐depth analysis of various phenomena occurring within the bromide PSCs allows to underline the working principle, which provides a key to optimize the device performance. The present protocol is not only valid for PSCs but can also be extended to devices based on alternative light harvesters.
Atomically Thin Mesoporous In2O3–x/In2S3 Lateral Heterostructures Enabling Robust Broadband‐Light Photo‐Electrochemical Water Splitting
Authors: Hou Jungang , Cao Shuyan , Sun Yiqing , Wu Yunzhen , Liang Fei , Lin Zheshuai , Sun Licheng
Published: December 2017

Atomically thin 2D heterostructures have opened new realms in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Herein, 2D lateral heterostructures of mesoporous In2O3–x/In2S3 atomic layers are synthesized through the in situ oxidation of In2S3 atomic layers by an oxygen plasma‐induced strategy. Based on experimental observations and theoretical calculations, the prolonged charge carrier lifetime and increased electron density reveal the efficient photoexcited carrier transport and separation in the In2O3–x/In2S3 layers by interfacial bonding at the atomic level. As expected, the synergistic structural and electronic modulations of the In2O3–x/In2S3 layers generate a photocurrent of 1.28 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode, nearly 21 and 79 times higher than those of the In2S3 atomic layers and bulk counterpart, respectively. Due to the large surface area, abundant active sites, broadband‐light harvesting ability, and effective charge transport pathways, the In2O3–x/In2S3 layers build efficient pathways for photoexcited charge in the 2D semiconductive channels, expediting charge transport and kinetic processes and enhancing the robust broadband‐light photo‐electrochemical water splitting performance. This work paves new avenues for the exploration and design of atomically thin 2D lateral heterostructures toward robust photo‐electrochemical applications and solar energy utilization.
The influence of uncertainty on the choice of business relationships: The case of vegetable farmers in China
Authors: Li Lin , Guo Hongdong , Bijman Jos , Heerink Nico
Published: December 2017

Although uncertainly is a common feature of agricultural markets, we know little about the effect of uncertainty on farmers’ choice of business relationships. This paper distinguishes production uncertainty, environmental uncertainty, and behavioral uncertainty in examining four kinds of business relationships of Chinese vegetable farmers: market exchange, cooperative membership without marketing transaction, cooperative membership with marketing transaction, and contract farming. We applied a multinomial logit model to data collected among 413 farmers in Hebei and Zhejiang provinces. The results suggested that all three types of uncertainty significantly affect the business relationships chosen by vegetable farmers. In particular, it was found that as production uncertainty increases, farmers prefer contract farming and both cooperative membership with and without marketing transaction over market exchange; while as behavioral uncertainty increases, farmers are less likely to be involved in contract farming. Environmental uncertainty does not affect the likelihood that farmers choose market exchange or contract farming, while mixed results are obtained for its effects on cooperative membership with and without marketing transaction. [EconLit citations: L140; Q130].
A quantitative approach for sex estimation based on cranial morphology
Authors: Nikita Efthymia , Michopoulou Efrossyni
Published: December 2017

Objectives

This paper proposes a method for the quantification of the shape of sexually dimorphic cranial traits, namely the glabella, mastoid process and external occipital protuberance.

Materials and methods

The proposed method was developed using 165 crania from the documented Athens Collection and tested on 20 Cretan crania. It is based on digital photographs of the lateral view of the cranium, drawing of the profile of three sexually dimorphic structures and calculation of variables that express the shape of these structures.

Results

The combinations of variables that provide optimum discrimination between sexes are identified by means of binary logistic regression and discriminant analysis. The best cross‐validated results are obtained when variables from all three structures are combined and range from 75.8 to 85.1% and 81.1 to 94.6% for males and females, respectively. The success rate is 86.3–94.1% for males and 83.9–93.5% for females when half of the sample is used for training and the rest for prediction. Correct classification for the Cretan material based upon the standards developed for the Athens sample was 80–90% for the optimum combinations of discriminant variables.

Discussion

The proposed method provides an effective way to capture quantitatively the shape of sexually dimorphic cranial structures; it gives more accurate results relative to other existing methods and it does not require specialized equipment. Equations for sex estimation based on combinations of variables are provided, along with instructions on how to use the method and Excel macros for calculation of discriminant variables with automated implementation of the optimum equations.