bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Inflammatory Reaction and Thrombosis
in High-Fat Diet-Fed ApoE-/- Mice are
Attenuated by Celastrol
Authors: Ouyang Mao , Qin Tao , Liu Hengdao , Lu Junya , Peng Caixia , Guo Qin
Published: March 2020

Objective High-fat diet (HFD) increases the
risk of inflammatory reaction and acute arterial
thrombosis. Celastrol has been confirmed to
regulate inflammatory cytokine levels in
atherosclerotic animal models. However, the
anti-thrombotic effects of celastrol have remained
to be fully demonstrated. The present study was
performed to investigate the beneficial effect of
celastrol in HFD-induced inflammatory reaction and
thrombosis in apolipoprotein (apo)E-/-
mice.

Materials and Methods Thrombogenic mice
model was established using HFD-fed
apoE-/- mice. The levels of mRNA and
protein were assayed by RT-qPCR and western
blotting, respectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
staining was performed to measure the protein
expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and
matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the aortic
endothelium of HFD-fed apoE-/-
mice.

Results The results demonstrated that the
effect of HFD on inflammatory cytokines in mice
with apoE-/- background was reversed by
celastrol administration, and celastrol treatment
inhibited the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin
domain containing 3
(NLRP3)/caspase-1/interleukin-1β signaling
cascades in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
from HFD-fed apoE-/- mice. In addition,
HFD enhanced adenosine diphosphate-induced
platelet aggregation in normal C57BL/6 and
apoE-/- mice, while celastrol
administration reversed this. Furthermore,
celastrol inhibited the pro-thrombotic effects of
HFD in apoE-/- mice, and the underlying
mechanism was mediated, at least partially,
through the suppression of matrix
metalloproteinase-2 and -9 expression.

Conclusions Celastrol administration
significantly attenuated HFD-induced inflammatory
reaction, platelet aggregation and thrombosis in
apoE-/- mice, and celastrol may be used
as a drug for the prevention of HFD-induced
inflammatory reaction and thrombus.
Glucose Tolerance in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis – Results
from the German Cystic Fibrosis Registry
Authors: Prinz Nicole , Wosniok Julia , Staab Doris , Ballmann Manfred , Dopfer Christian , Regenfuß Nicole , Rosenecker Josef , Schramm Dirk , W. Reinhard Holl , Nährlich Lutz
Published: March 2020

Background Oral glucose tolerance (OGT) deteriorates progressively in
cystic fibrosis (CF). Clinical registries provide a unique basis to study
real-world data.

Patients & methods OGT tests (OGTTs) documented in the German
CF-registry in 2016 were classified according WHO, modified by ADA: normal
glucose tolerance (NGT), indeterminate glycaemia (INDET), impaired fasting
glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), IFG+IGT, diabetes
mellitus (DM). To study the association with lung function, multivariable
regression adjusted for age, sex, and CFTR mutation was performed.

Results Overall, OGTT screening was done in 35% of CF patients
≧10 years. Of the 996 patients (46.4% females; median age (IQR):
19 (14–27) years) with evaluable OGTTs, 56.2% had either NGT or
INDET, whereas 34% had a pre-diabetic OGTT (IFG; IGT; IFG+IGT)
and 9.8% a diabetic OGTT. 7 patients had glucose tolerance abnormalities
<10 years. DM was more common in females or patients with F508del
homozygote mutation, whereas IFG was more frequent in males (all
p<0.05). Nearly 75% of patients after transplantation and about
half with enteral/parental nutrition and/or steroid use had
either a pre-diabetic or diabetic glucose tolerance. In the adjusted model, age
(p<0.001) and OGTT category (p=0.013) had both a significant
impact on %FEV1.

Conclusion Our data of the German CF-registry highlights incidence of
glucose tolerance abnormalities in second decade of life in CF patients.
However, it also underlines the need for improvement of the documentation
and/or performance of OGTT screening in real-world CF care.
Headache Perception in an Epilepsy Patient with Neuromodulation by Anterior Thalamic Nuclei Deep Brain Stimulation: A Case Report
Authors: Pintea Bogdan , Surges Rainer , Boström Jan
Published: March 2020

Objective Headache disorders are frequently associated with epilepsy. Some neuromodulation techniques for refractory epilepsy have been reported to positively influence the associated chronic headache. However, the exact mechanism of action of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and anterior thalamic nuclei-deep brain stimulation (ANT-DBS) on pain perception is unclear.

Method We report a structured assessment of pain perception in a patient who experienced headache relief after ANT-DBS for refractory focal epilepsy and compare it with pain perception of epilepsy patients with chronic headache who were treated with and without VNS.

Results The pain-associated symptoms in the ANT-DBS case were on the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS-40) subscore “physiological anxiety” closer to the control collective, whereas in patients with VNS, this was more likely for the PASS-40 subscores “cognitive anxiety” or “escape and avoidance.”

Conclusion ANT-DBS and VNS may influence epilepsy-associated chronic headache in different ways.
Three-Component Synthesis of 2-Alkylthiobenzoazoles in Aqueous Media
Authors: Dong Zhi-Bing , Chen Jin-Quan , Guo Jia
Published: March 2020

A highly efficient three-component protocol for the synthesis of the 2-alkylthiobenzoazoles is described. Tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) cyclized with o-aminothiophenols, generating the intermediate 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles, and the successive C–S coupling with halogenated alkanes afforded a series of 2-alkyl-substituted thiobenzothiazoles smoothly in a one-pot process. This procedure could also be utilized for the preparation of 2-alkyl-substituted thiobenzoxazoles and 2-alkyl-substituted thiobenzimidazoles. Inexpensive and easily available starting materials, metal catalyst-free, broad substrate scope, and water as solvent are the features of this protocol.
Potassium Periodate Mediated Oxidative Cyclodesulfurization toward Benzofused Nitrogen Heterocycles
Authors: Pattarawarapan Mookda , Duangkamol Chuthamat , Phakhodee Wong
Published: March 2020

A convenient oxidative cyclodesulfurization method toward the synthesis of benzofused nitrogen heterocycles using inexpensive and readily available potassium periodate as an oxidant was developed. Upon treating isothiocyanates with ortho-substituted anilines bearing N,N-, N,O-, and N,S-bis-nucleophiles, followed by an intramolecular cyclization of the in situ generated monothioureas, substituted 2-aminobenzazole series were rapidly accessible in good to excellent yields. The protocol can accommodate various substituents on both substrates while allowing more efficient, greener, and operational simpler process relative to other oxidative coupling reactions. Tetracyclic quinazolinone derivatives were also afforded in high yields in a single preparative step and chromatography-free.
Cluster Preface: Special Edition Dedicated to ISySyCat2019
Authors: Burke Anthony J.
Published: March 2020

obtained his B.Sc. (joint honors in chemistry & biology, 1988) from NUI-Maynooth and his Ph.D. from University College Dublin, Ireland (1993, supervisor: W. Ivo. O’Sullivan). After postdoctoral studies with Steve Davies (Oxford, 1993–1996) and Chris Maycock (ITQB Portugal, 1996–1999) and working for a year as a lecturer in analytical chemistry at Instituto Piaget: Instituto Superior de Estudos Interculturais e Transdisciplinares, Almada, Portugal, he accepted a position as assistant professor in organic chemistry, at the University Évora. He obtained the title of aggregation (‘habilitation’) in organic chemistry from the University of Évora in 2012 and was recently appointed to the position of associate professor at the same department. He was chairman for of 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions of the International Symposium on Synthesis and Catalysis (ISySyCat), and is actively planning the 4th edition for 31 Aug to 3 September, 2021. He was appointed a Fellow of ChemPubSoc Europe in Feb 2020.
Reliability assessment of composite generation and transmission expansion planning incorporating renewable energy sources
Authors: Gbadamosi Saheed Lekan , Nwulu Nnamdi I.
Published: March 2020

Modern power system exploitation of large-scale Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) is prevalent due to the RES effect of reducing the heavy dependence on fossil fuels and the resultant power quality improvement. Therefore, this paper investigates the reliability assessment of a power system with integration of large-scale RESs with emphasis on their impacts on the expansion planning procedure. A multi-state Markov model is proposed to analyze the availability and reliability of the stochastic nature of RESs and High Voltage Direct Current transmission links. A Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming model is developed to minimize the total investment and operation cost of the generating units and the cost associated with power outage as well as improving power system reliability. An Outer Approximation Algorithm, a powerful solver embedded in the Advanced Interactive Multidimensional Modeling System, was employed in solving the proposed model and implemented using the IEEE 6- and 24-bus Roy Billinton Test System to demonstrate its effectiveness. The results obtained from the simulation reveal that the proposed model performance achieves effective reliability and an enhanced voltage profile.
Comment on “Judd–Ofelt analysis of the Er3+ (4f11) absorption intensities in Er3+-doped garnets” [J. Appl. Phys. 93(5), 2602 (2003)]
Authors: Liu Mei-Hong , Zhang Yun , Zhang Zi-Bo , Zhang De-Long
Published: March 2020

A previous paper [D. K. Sardar et al., J. Appl. Phys. 93(5), 2602 (2003)] has reported Judd–Ofelt (J–O) spectroscopic properties of Er3+ in garnets Y3Al5O12, Y3(Sc2Ga3)O12, and Gd3Ga5O12. In that paper, the possible magnetic-dipole contribution to the oscillator strength, which is non-zero for the 4I13/2 ↔ 4I15/2 (1.5 μm) transition of Er3+, has been erroneously omitted in their J–O calculation, resulting in incorrect results of relevant spectroscopic parameters. In this Comment, we point out the error, perform correct J–O analysis, and report correct results.
An intense source for cold cluster ions of a specific composition
Authors: Tiefenthaler L. , Ameixa J. , Martini P. , Albertini S. , Ballauf L. , Zankl M. , Goulart M. , Laimer F. , von Haeften K. , Zappa F. , Scheier P.
Published: March 2020

The demand for nanoscale materials of ultra-high purity and narrow size distribution is addressed. Clusters of Au, C60, H2O, and serine are produced inside helium nanodroplets using a combination of ionization, mass filtering, collisions with atomic or molecular vapor, and electrostatic extraction, in a specific and novel sequence. The helium droplets are produced in an expansion of cold helium gas through a nozzle into vacuum. The droplets are ionized by electron bombardment and subjected to a mass filter. The ionic and mass-selected helium droplets are then guided through a vacuum chamber filled with atomic or molecular vapor where they collide and “pick up” the vapor. The dopants then agglomerate inside the helium droplets around charge centers to singly charged clusters. Evaporation of the helium droplets is induced by collisions in a helium-filled radio frequency (RF)-hexapole, which liberates the cluster ions from the host droplets. The clusters are analyzed with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. It is demonstrated that using this sequence, the size distribution of the dopant cluster ions is distinctly narrower compared to ionization after pickup. Likewise, the ion cluster beam is more intense. The mass spectra show, as well, that ion clusters of the dopants can be produced with only few helium atoms attached, which will be important for messenger spectroscopy. All these findings are important for the scientific research of clusters and nanoscale materials in general.
Towed Overhauser marine magnetometer for weak magnetic anomaly detection in severe ocean conditions
Authors: Ge J. , Luo W. , Dong H. , Liu H. , Wang H. , Wang W. , Yuan Z. , Zhu J. , Zhang H.
Published: March 2020

A towed Overhauser marine geomagnetic magnetometer used for weak magnetic anomaly detection in severe ocean conditions is studied to investigate means to reduce the negative effect of dynamic behavior and magnetic noise associated with ocean waves. For the dynamic effect, a continuous polarization workflow is proposed to enhance the free-induction-decay signal, and then, a multi-angle pickup coil and a self-tracking programmable amplifier are used to further reduce the adverse effect caused by uncontrollable changes in the towfish attitude on the signal quality. Furthermore, to achieve adaptive suppression of magnetic noise in different ocean conditions and areas, a modified adaptive Kalman algorithm is assessed. In addition, an optimized Overhauser sensor and a towfish were developed. Overall, the experimental results show that the sensor can effectively suppress the dynamic effect and magnetic noise. Regarding the magnetic sensitivity, uncertainty and range are 12 pT/Hz1/2@1Hz and 0.21 nT and 20 000 nT–100 000 nT, respectively. Moreover, underwater testing was performed to verify the function and the detection of the magnetic anomaly.
Frequency scanned phase sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry interrogation in multimode optical fibers
Authors: Markiewicz K. , Kaczorowski J. , Yang Z. , Szostkiewicz L. , Dominguez-Lopez A. , Wilczynski K. , Napierala M. , Nasilowski T. , Thévenaz L.
Published: March 2020

Standard multimode optical fibers normally support transmission over some 100 modes. Large differences in the propagation constant and the spatial distribution of distinct modes degrade the performance of phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry measurements. In this work, we present a new realization of a coherent time-domain interrogation technique using single-mode operation in multimode fibers. We demonstrate effectively distributed strain sensing on three different multimode optical fibers. Up to 4 km of multimode fiber has been correctly interrogated, featuring a spatial resolution of 20 cm.
Tapered ultra-high numerical aperture optical fiber tip for nitrogen vacancy ensembles based endoscope in a fluidic environment
Authors: Duan Dewen , Kavatamane Vinaya Kumar , Arumugam Sri Ranjini , Tzeng Yan-Kai , Chang Huan-Cheng , Balasubramanian Gopalakrishnan
Published: March 2020

Fixing a diamond containing a high density of Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) center ensembles on the apex of a multimode optical fiber (MMF) extends the applications of NV-based endoscope sensors. Replacing the normal MMF with a tapered MMF (MMF-taper) has enhanced the fluorescence (FL) collection efficiency from the diamond and achieved a high spatial resolution NV-based endoscope. The MMF-taper's high FL collection efficiency is the direct result of multiple internal reflections in the tapered region caused by silica, which has a higher refractive index (RI) than the surrounding air. However, for applications involving fluidic environments whose RI is close to or higher than that of the silica, the MMF-taper loses its FL collection significantly. Here, to overcome this challenge and achieve a high spatial resolution NV-based endoscope in a fluidic environment, we conceptually proposed a tapered ultra-high numerical aperture microstructured optical fiber (MOF) whose air capillaries at the tapered end are sealed. Since the end-sealed air capillaries along the tapered MOF (MOF-taper) have isolated the MOF core from the surrounding medium, the core retains its high FL collection and NV excitation efficiency in liquids regardless of their RI values. Replacing the MMF-taper with the MOF-taper will achieve a versatile NV-based endoscope that could potentially find widespread applications in fluidic environments where many biological processes and chemical reactions occur.
An atomistic study of shear-band formation during cutting of metallic glasses
Authors: Avila Karina E. , Küchemann Stefan , Alabd Alhafez Iyad , Urbassek Herbert M.
Published: March 2020

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study the generation of plasticity during cutting of a CuZr metallic glass. We characterize the deformation occurring at different cutting depths and velocities. A regular pattern of parallel shear bands forms in the chip in agreement with experimental work. The shear bands are better defined and further spaced apart for deeper cuts. For small cutting velocities ≤20m/s, a sharp boundary plane separates the plastically deformed material in the chip from the virgin workpiece. This is the case even for the deepest cuts performed. The chip is of roughly prismatic shape; its thickness is determined by how fast the shear bands formed within the chip propagate. We find that at the core of a shear band, the number of full icosahedral clusters decreases by more than 50%. At higher cut velocities, we find bent shear bands and irregular shear-band patterns when shear bands merge.
Rotational spectra of 2,3,6-trifluoropyridine: Effect of fluorination on ring geometry
Authors: Chen Jun-hua , Wang Juan , Feng Gang , Gou Qian
Published: March 2020

The ground state rotational spectrum of 2,3,6-trifluoropyridine has been investigated in the 2.0–20.0 GHz region by pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The experimental rotational constants are A=3134.4479(2) MHz, B=1346.79372(7) MHz, and C=941.99495(6) MHz. The transitions are so intense that rotational transitions of all mono-13C and 15N isotopologues are measured in natural abundance. The semi-experimental equilibrium rotational constants of the 7 isotopologues were derived by taking account of the anharmonic vibrational corrections, which allowed a semi-experimental determination of the equilibrium structure of 2,3,6-trifluoropyridine.
Reinvestigate the C2Π-X2Π(0,0) band of AgO
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Zhang De-ping , Zhu Bo-xing , Gu Jing-wang , Zhao Dong-feng , Chena Yang
Published: March 2020

The C2Π-X2Π(0,0) band of AgO has been reinvestigated by laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy with a spectral resolution of ∼0.02 cm−1. The AgO molecules are produced by discharging a gas mixture of O2/Ar with silver needle electrodes in a supersonic jet expansion. By employing a home-made narrowband single longitude mode optical parametric oscillator (SLM-OPO) as the laser source, high-resolution spectra of the C2Π-X2Π(0,0) band have been recorded for both 107Ag16O and 109Ag16O isotopologues. The spectroscopic constants of the C2Π state are consequently determined, with the 109Ag16O one being reported for the first time. The nature of the spin-orbit coupling effect in the C2Π state is proposed to be due to state mixing with the nearby repulsive 4Σ− and 4Π states.
Syntactic and semantic constraints on pronoun and anaphor resolution in Persian
Authors: Abdollahnejad Elias , Storoshenko Dennis Ryan
Published: March 2020

This chapter investigates the mechanism of reference resolution for the colloquial pronoun un “(s)he” and the anaphor xod-eš “self-3sg” in Persian. The present analysis serves as another piece of evidence in support of the ‘multiple constraints’ framework for reference resolution advanced in Kaiser (2003) and Kaiser et al. (2009), while also contributing to the relatively scant analyses of Persian reference resolution. In identifying the differences in sensitivity to constraints, though, we argue that xod-eš and un are fundamentally different in their binding behaviour. Regarding the semantic constraints, we observed that un is more sensitive to a perceiver bias than xod-eš. We further reinforce the bound nature of xod-eš with the observation that it requires a c-commanding antecedent. This, along with the observed tolerance for (syntactic) binding both within and beyond the local clause, motivates its comparison with the Korean caki and Chinese ziji “self”, both of which share these properties.
The pronoun-to-agreement cycle in Iranian
Authors: Haig Geoffrey L.J.
Published: March 2020

There is a broad consensus within linguistics that personal pronouns may undergo grammaticalization to yield person agreement morphology. Furthermore, it is widely assumed that similar processes apply to both subject and object pronouns. In this chapter I consider the fate of a phonologically identical set of clitic pronouns in Middle West Iranian languages, which were deployed in both subject and object indexing. The modern outcomes have been rather different; while erstwhile clitic subject pronouns have spawned subject agreement morphology in some languages, these clitic pronouns have not yielded obligatory object agreement in the category of person in any Iranian language. Neither traditional grammaticalization theory, nor recent formalizations of grammaticalization within Minimalism, offer a compelling explanation for this asymmetry. I suggest it reflects a fundamental difference in the informativity of subject as opposed to object indexing with respect to the category of person, as opposed to that of gender and number.
Stripping structures with negation in Persian
Authors: Rasekhi Vahideh
Published: March 2020

In this chapter, I introduce two novel Stripping constructions from Persian that occur with negation. I refer to these constructions as Polarity Stripping and Negative Stripping. I argue that they involve clausal coordination, and that in the second coordinate, the entire clause except for a constituent is elided under identity with corresponding parts of the first coordinate. I propose that these constructions involve TP ellipsis, which is licensed by the Pol head that carries an [E] feature (Merchant 2001). I also study another structure, which I refer to as Pseudo-stripping. I argue that even though Pseudo-stripping looks like Polarity Stripping and Negative Stripping, it does not involve ellipsis despite what has been claimed in the literature for English (Kolokonte 2008). I propose that Pseudo-stripping is mono-clausal and is derived via movement.
Proximate and ultimate explanations of individual differences in language use and language acquisition
Authors: Hulstijn Jan
Published: March 2020

I evaluate three schools in linguistics (structuralism; generative linguistics; usage based linguistics) from the perspective of Karl Popper’s critical rationalism. Theories (providing proximate explanations) may be falsified at some point in time. In contrast, metatheories, such as Darwin’s theory of evolution and the theory of Language as a Complex Adaptive System (LCAS) (providing ultimate explanations) are falsifiablein principle, but not likely to be falsified. I then argue that LCAS provides a fruitful framework for the explanation of individual differences in language acquisition and use. Unequal frequency distributions of linguistic elements constitute a necessary characteristic of language production, in line with LCAS. However, explaining individual differences implies explaining commonalities (Hulstijn, 2015,2019). While attributes such as people’s level of education and profession are visible in knowledge of the standard language (declarative knowledge acquired in school), they may be invisible in the spoken vernacular (linguistic cognition shared by all native speakers).
Ethnic variation in the phonology of Namibian English
Authors: Schröder Anne , Zähres Frederic , Kautzsch Alexander
Published: March 2020

Studies on the pronunciation of Namibian English (NamE) have shown strong evidence for ethnically conditioned variation within the NamE vowel system. Thus, NamE should not be seen as a monolithic entity but rather as a group of ethnically and/or socially conditioned varieties. In this paper, we undertake a first approach to Baster English, a potential ethnic variety of NamE. The Rehoboth Basters constitute a unique ethnically mixed Afrikaans-speaking group from South Africa, who settled in Namibia in the 19th century and are known for their strong sense of a separate local and ethnic identity. Triangulating the results of a quantitative questionnaire on language attitudes and acoustic analyses of vocalic features in informants’ pronunciation, we demonstrate how the Basters’ unique identity translates into linguistic practice in a multi-ethnic and multilingual environment.
The bike, the back, and the boyfriend
Authors: Gardner Matt Hunt , Tagliamonte Sali A.
Published: March 2020

Using comparative sociolinguistic methods, we probe the underlying mechanisms governing the variation between
possessive determiners,
my bike, and the definite article,
the bike,
in possessive contexts in two mainstream English varieties (Canadian and British English,
N = 6,217). Results indicate the is stable and pervasive, occurring approximately
30 percent of the time with personal domain possessed nouns. For some nouns, e.g. dog and cat,
the occurs over 75 percent of the time. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary records possessive
the as chiefly British, while Quirk et al. (1985: 271–272) observe that only low-status men use it; however, we find no difference between the UK and Canada,
nor a significant gender or education effect in either dataset. When we model the variation between forms according to conceptions
of ownership, we find an underlying system for encoding communal possession that transcends social categories and dialect: the
more that possession is communal, the more the is used.
The pen is mightier than the sword
Authors: Kienpointner Manfred
Published: March 2020

On October 9, 2012 Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl, was severely wounded by a Taliban assassin’s bullet. This was the culmination of a history of conflict in the Swat valley region of north-western Pakistan. The historical, ethnic, political and religious reasons for this conflict are manifold. After several surgeries in Pakistan and Great Britain, Malala Yousafzai miraculously recovered from her serious injuries and was even able to give a speech at the United Nations Youth Assembly on her 16th birthday on July 12,2013.

In this paper, Malala Yousafzai’s speech will be analysed in some detail regarding her main arguments and verbal presentation strategies. Furthermore, I will focus on the way Malala Yousafzai deals with both the verbal and non-verbal aggression of the Taliban. I would also like to show how determined she is to argue against the Taliban’s escalation of the conflict without letting herself getting entangled in a spiral of verbal violence.

The theoretical framework for this analysis and the critical evaluation of the speech will be the concept of “strategic maneuvering” as developed by van Eemeren (2010,2018) within his framework of Pragma-Dialectics. This concept has frequently been applied to the analysis of political discourse (see e.g.Kienpointner 2013,2017).
Connecteurs de discours centraux et périphériques
Authors: Bernard Timothée , Danlos Laurence
Published: March 2020

En nous inspirant des travaux de Haegeman (2004), nous montrons que
les conjonctions de subordination du français écrit se partitionnent en deux classes, les conjonctions centrales
et périphériques, et que cette partition dépend du sens des conjonctions. Ainsi, quand dans son
sens temporel est centrale comme toute conjonction temporelle, et périphérique dans son sens contrastif comme toute conjonction
contrastive. Cette partition s’appuie sur différents critères syntaxiques et sémantiques déjà étudiés dans la littérature, faisant
intervenir la notion de contenu (sémantique) en jeu ou projectif, ainsi que sur un critère sémantico-discursif original qui met en
jeu la distinction entre l’usage intensionnel et évidentiel d’un verbe d’attitude
propositionnelle ou d’un verbe de dire Hunter (2016). Ensuite, nous montrons que cette
partition s’étend aux autres connecteurs de discours du français écrit, d’où la notion de connecteurs centraux et périphériques.
Cette partition respecte la règle suivante: si deux connecteurs, quelle que soit leur catégorie, ont le même sens, alors ils sont
tous deux centraux ou tous deux périphériques. Nous pouvons par là-même introduire une nouvelle partition des relations de
discours, qui s’accorde relativement bien (mais non entièrement) avec la classification sémantique du PDTB (Prasad et al., 2007) et qui est orthogonale aux autres partitions proposées dans la
littérature.
Nano-indentation nanohardness and elastic modulus evolution of molybdenum processed by high-pressure torsion
Authors: Xue Ke-Min , Wang Zhe , Wang Xue , Zhou Yu-Feng , Li Ping
Published: March 2020

In this paper, high-pressure torsion (HPT) was conducted on pure molybdenum (Mo) (99.9 wt.%) under the 6 GPa pressure at room temperature with an angular velocity of 1 rev min−1. The samples processed by 1, 2, 5 turns of HPT were obtained. After 5 revolutions of HPT, the grains were significantly refined to 0.77 ± 0.17 µm and the main textures are {012}<121> and {001}<110>. The dislocation density of the sample after 2 turns of HPT deformation reaches to the maximum value. The elastic modulus of pure molybdenum after 5 turns of HPT has a great decrease. It is found that texture structures, dislocations and non-equilibrium grain boundaries can influence the elastic modulus evolution, and the latter two are the main factors.
Investigation and characterization of Copper-Fly ash-Tungsten hybrid composites synthesized through P/M process
Authors: Thanga Kasi Rajan S , Balaji A N , Raghav G R , Nagarajan K J , Vettivel S C
Published: March 2020

This research paper describes the enhancement of mechanical, wear and corrosion behaviour of the Copper (Cu) matrix composite by reinforcing Fly ash (FA) and Tungsten (W). The main objective of this study was to reduce the weight and cost of the hybrid composites. The weight percentage of low density material (FA) was kept constant at 6% and samples were prepared by the addition of W in weight percentages of 3, 6 and 9 in the Cu matrix. The characterization of the hybrid composites was studied using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The micrographs revealed the uniform distribution of W and FA in the Cu matrix. From the mechanical characterization, it was identified that there is an increase in microhardness and compressive strength with the addition of W particles. It can be understood that the W particles occupy substitutional type reinforcement and FA particles occupy interstitial type reinforcement in the Cu matrix. The Wear behavior and its mechanism were studied using worn surface SEM micrographs. It was observed that the lowest specific wear rate was recorded for the hybrid composition of Cu-6FA-6W. Electrochemical polarization test and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) study revealed that Cu-6FA-9W shows higher corrosion resistance in both 1 N HCl (256.593 × 10−4 Ω cm2) and seawater media (219.855 × 10−4 Ω cm2) than pure Cu.
Contact resistance and mobility in back-gate graphene transistors
Authors: Urban Francesca , Lupina Grzegorz , Grillo Alessandro , Martucciello Nadia , Di Bartolomeo Antonio
Published: March 2020

The metal-graphene contact resistance is one of the major limiting factors toward the technological exploitation of graphene in electronic devices and sensors. High contact resistance can be detrimental to device performance and spoil the intrinsic great properties of graphene. In this paper, we fabricate back-gate graphene field-effect transistors with different geometries to study the contact and channel resistance as well as the carrier mobility as a function of gate voltage and temperature. We apply the transfer length method and the y-function method showing that the two approaches can complement each other to evaluate the contact resistance and prevent artifacts in the estimation of carrier mobility dependence on the gate-voltage. We find that the gate voltage modulates both the contact and the channel resistance in a similar way but does not change the carrier mobility. We also show that raising the temperature lowers the carrier mobility, has a negligible effect on the contact resistance, and can induce a transition from a semiconducting to a metallic behavior of the graphene sheet resistance, depending on the applied gate voltage. Finally, we show that eliminating the detrimental effects of the contact resistance on the transistor channel current almost doubles the carrier field-effect mobility and that a competitive contact resistance as low as 700 Ω·μm can be achieved by the zig-zag shaping of the Ni contact.
Staircase-like transfer characteristics in multilayer MoS2 field-effect transistors
Authors: Ohoka Takuya , Nouchi Ryo
Published: March 2020

Layered semiconductors, such as MoS2, have attracted interest as channel materials for post-silicon and beyond-CMOS electronics. Much attention has been devoted to the monolayer limit, but the monolayer channel is not necessarily advantageous in terms of the performance of field-effect transistors (FETs). Therefore, it is important to investigate the characteristics of FETs that have multilayer channels. Here, we report the staircase-like transfer characteristics of FETs with exfoliated multilayer MoS2 flakes. Atomic force microscope characterizations reveal that the presence of thinner terraces at the edges of the flakes accompanies the staircase-like characteristics. The anomalous staircase-like characteristics are ascribable to a difference in threshold-voltage shift by charge transfer from surface adsorbates between the channel center and the thinner terrace at the edge. This study reveals the importance of the uniformity of channel thickness.
Nanoscale heterojunctions of rGO-MoS2 composites for nitrogen dioxide sensing at room temperature
Authors: Mukherjee Anwesha , Jaidev Leela R , Chatterjee Kaushik , Misra Abha
Published: March 2020

Chemiresistive sensors, employing binary and ternary hybrids of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), are developed to detect nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas at parts per billion level (ppb) at room temperature. The sensors based on hierarchical structures of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) sheets decorated rGO and further integration of it with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) exhibit improved sensing responses with lower detection limits than the unary counterpart (rGO). An increase of nearly 500% in sensing response is observed in the ternary hybrid device over rGO alone at a concentration of 1 ppm and a 1145% increase in response is observed at 104 ppm. The ternary hybrid device outperforms the binary and the unary counterparts in terms of sensitivity to NO2 over a wide concentration range from 1 ppm to 104 ppm. Additionally, the ternary hybrid device is highly selective to NO2 amongst other atmospheric pollutants like ammonia, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. An experimental detection limit of 50 ppb is further achieved with this device which is lesser than the 53 ppb permissible limit declared by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A synergistic effect was achieved with the binary and the ternary hybrids with the electronic modulations at the nanoscale interfaces at the nanoheterojunctions playing a key role in selective and enhanced adsorption of NO2 at room temperature.
Self-assembly of the deposited graphene-like nanoparticles and possible nanotrack artefacts in AFM studies
Authors: Cherepanov Vsevolod V , Naumovets Anton G , Posudievsky Oleg Yu , Koshechko Vyacheslav G , Pokhodenko Vitaly D
Published: March 2020

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is widely used for structural characterization of 2D materials. We report here on the appearance of linear pseudo-structures of subnanometer height (‘nanotracks’), observed in AFM images of 2D-nanoparticles of graphene, MoS2, WS2, BN, synthesized by the mechanochemical technique and deposited from dispersions on the mica surface. It is stated that the nanotracks appear as a result of nanoparticle displacement on the surface under the influence of the AFM tip during scanning. The appearance of the nanotracks is caused by a high relative concentration of monolayer nanoparticles in the prepared dispersions; their bulk aggregation; subsequent destruction of the aggregates by the AFM probe with formation of the nanoparticles weakly bound to the substrate. A method is proposed how to distinguish monolithic particles from granulated aggregates, as well as a technique to prevent their displacement during measurements. The possibility is considered of using AFM to develop effective nanolubricants and provide their precise nanoscale deposition on the specified surface areas.
Enhanced humidity responsive ultrasonically nebulised V2O5 thin films
Authors: Tadeo Inyalot Jude , Parasuraman Rajasekar , Krupanidhi Saluru B , Umarji Arun M
Published: March 2020

A large surface to volume ratio and easily accessible active reaction sites are key attributes for a good gas sensing material. Herein, we report synthesis, characterisation and humidity sensing properties of phase pure 420 nm thick low temperature (350 °C) polycrystalline V2O5 thin films deposited on quartz substrate by ultrasonic nebulized spray pyrolysis of aqueous combustion mixture (UNSPACM). The thin films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, field emission scanning microscope, transmission electron microscope, UV–visible spectroscopy and XPS. The highly porous and nanocrystalline characteristic of V2O5 thin films synthesized by this technique provide large surface to volume ratio and easily accessible active reaction sites making it a prominent material for gas sensing applications. The fabricated humidity sensor based on V2O5 thin films exhibited high sensitivity with good stability and reproducibility at room temperature. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity of 90.8% at 76% RH with response time of 35–60 s and recovery time of 7–54 s. We believe this method provides means for large-scale synthesis of V2O5 thin films for several gas sensing applications.
Transition in nanoscale electrical conductivity in the Langmuir-Blodgett film of a novel liquid crystalline oligomer
Authors: Kumar Bharat , Suresh K A , Bisoyi Hari Krishna , Kumar Sandeep
Published: March 2020

We have studied the nanoscale electrical conductivity of a monolayer film of a novel star shaped liquid crystalline molecule, hexatriphenylene substituted anthraquinone (AQD6). The molecule has a central core of electron deficient anthraquinone moiety connected to six electron rich triphenylene moieties by flexible alkyl chains. The monolayer formed at air-water interface was transferred onto the solid substrates by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique and its surface topography was imaged using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The limiting area obtained from the surface pressure-area per molecule isotherm and the topography of the AFM images suggest that the anthraquinone moiety of the AQD6 molecule is organized in face-on configuration on the substrate and the triphenylene moieties are in edge-on configuration extended away from the substrate. We have studied the electrical conductivity of the AQD6 monolayer deposited on gold coated silicon substrate using a current sensing AFM. Analysis of current (I) − voltage (V) characteristics of the metal-monolayer film-metal junction showed a transition from direct tunneling to an injection tunneling. Further, we have estimated the barrier height and the effective mass of electron in the metal-monolayer film-metal junction.
Nostalgia and Retcons: The Many Returns, Homecomings, and Revisions of theHalloweenFranchise (1978–2018)
Authors: Ochonicky Adam
Published: March 2020

In recent decades, the steady remaking of individual films and rebooting of film franchises evince the cultural and commercial appeals of reimagining established titles. This article analyzes how the related practice of retroactive continuity (retcon) functions as a nostalgic intervention within a franchise’s broad mythology and ongoing narrative. Nostalgia is a longing to return to a desired space or time from which one is separated, and the retcon is an attempt to bind the past and present within a particular franchise’s story world. As such, retconning is an act of nostalgia in at least two ways. First, retconning may be used to nostalgically restore a franchise to a lost, idealized state. Second, a retcon may alter a franchise’s overarching narrative while still preserving selected story elements from earlier instalments; in this case, the retcon creates new audience understandings of the franchise and invites a nostalgic revisiting of previous films. To examine nostalgia and retcons, this article uses the first eleven films of the Halloween series (1978–2018) as a collective case study, as the franchise is distinguished by frequent retcons. Further, the original Halloween (1978) has evolved into a lost ‘home’ to which filmmakers and audiences alike nostalgically seek to return. Overall, this article exposes how nostalgia manifests on the levels of narrative, aesthetics, theme, and marketing across the Halloween series. While illuminating these dynamics within the Halloween franchise, the article argues that, in ways that are related to and discrete from remakes and reboots, the retcon is a nostalgic practice.
Effects of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid During Rhytidectomy: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study
Authors: Cohen Justin C , Glasgold Robert A , Alloju Les M , Glasgold Mark J
Published: March 2020

Background

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent shown to decrease intraoperative bleeding, reduce transfusions, and improve outcomes across multiple specialties. Within plastic surgery, initial reports are encouraging but formal studies are lacking.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine whether intravenous (IV) TXA has any effect on intraoperative bleeding or postoperative sequelae in patients undergoing a deep-plane facelift.

Methods

This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, case series in a private practice surgery center. The participants were 44 patients undergoing rhytidectomy with the senior authors (R.A.G. or M.J.G). The treatment group received a 1-g dose of IV TXA prior to skin incision and the same dose 4 hours later (vs saline). Bleeding was rated mild, moderate, or severe. Postoperative ecchymosis and edema were subjectively evaluated by patient and surgeon and scores were aggregated for analysis.

Results

The TXA group showed decreased intraoperative bleeding but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Postoperative ecchymosis/edema ratings were lower for patients who received TXA, including a statistically significant decrease in surgeon-rated bruising. TXA resulted in a statistically significant decrease in postoperative collections in this study and no major complications occurred.

Conclusions

TXA is a safe, low-cost addition to any existing surgical protocol and may lead to fewer surgical sequelae and improved satisfaction. Although we did not observe a dramatically different intraoperative experience, postoperative bruising and collections were significantly reduced. TXA acid may have great value in the management of patients undergoing rhytidectomy and its use warrants further study.

Level of Evidence: 2
powmic: an R package for power assessment in microbiome case–control studies
Authors: Chen Li
Published: March 2020

Power analysis is essential to decide the sample size of metagenomic sequencing experiments in a case–control study for identifying differentially abundant (DA) microbes. However, the complexity of microbial data characteristics, such as excessive zeros, over-dispersion, compositionality, intrinsically microbial correlations and variable sequencing depths, makes the power analysis particularly challenging because the analytical form is usually unavailable. Here, we develop a simulation-based power assessment strategy and R package powmic, which considers the complexity of microbial data characteristics. A real data example demonstrates the usage of powmic.

Availability and implementation

powmic R package and online tutorial are available at https://github.com/lichen-lab/powmic.

Contact

chen61@iu.edu

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Distinctive binding properties of human monoclonal LGI1 autoantibodies determine pathogenic mechanisms
Authors: Ramberger Melanie , Berretta Antonio , Tan Jeanne M M , Sun Bo , Michael Sophia , Yeo Tianrong , Theorell Jakob , Bashford-Rogers Rachael , Paneva Sofija , O’Dowd Victoria , Dedi Neesha , Topia Sarfaraj , Griffin Robert , Ramirez-Franco Jorge , El Far Oussama , Baulac Stéphanie , Leite Maria I , Sen Arjune , Jeans Alexander , McMillan David , Marshall Diane , Anthony Daniel , Lightwood Daniel , Waters Patrick , Irani Sarosh R
Published: March 2020

Autoantibodies against leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) are found in patients with limbic encephalitis and focal seizures. Here, we generate patient-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against LGI1. We explore their sequences and binding characteristics, plus their pathogenic potential using transfected HEK293T cells, rodent neuronal preparations, and behavioural and electrophysiological assessments in vivo after mAb injections into the rodent hippocampus. In live cell-based assays, LGI1 epitope recognition was examined with patient sera (n = 31), CSFs (n = 11), longitudinal serum samples (n = 15), and using mAbs (n = 14) generated from peripheral B cells of two patients. All sera and 9/11 CSFs bound both the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and the epitempin repeat (EPTP) domains of LGI1, with stable ratios of LRR:EPTP antibody levels over time. By contrast, the mAbs derived from both patients recognized either the LRR or EPTP domain. mAbs against both domain specificities showed varied binding strengths, and marked genetic heterogeneity, with high mutation frequencies. LRR-specific mAbs recognized LGI1 docked to its interaction partners, ADAM22 and ADAM23, bound to rodent brain sections, and induced internalization of the LGI1-ADAM22/23 complex in both HEK293T cells and live hippocampal neurons. By contrast, few EPTP-specific mAbs bound to rodent brain sections or ADAM22/23-docked LGI1, but all inhibited the docking of LGI1 to ADAM22/23. After intrahippocampal injection, and by contrast to the LRR-directed mAbs, the EPTP-directed mAbs showed far less avid binding to brain tissue and were consistently detected in the serum. Post-injection, both domain-specific mAbs abrogated long-term potentiation induction, and LRR-directed antibodies with higher binding strengths induced memory impairment. Taken together, two largely dichotomous populations of LGI1 mAbs with distinct domain binding characteristics exist in the affinity matured peripheral autoantigen-specific memory pools of individuals, both of which have pathogenic potential. In human autoantibody-mediated diseases, the detailed characterization of patient mAbs provides a valuable method to dissect the molecular mechanisms within polyclonal populations.
On the Behaviour of
p
-Adic Scaled Space Filling Curve Indices for High-Dimensional Data
Authors: Bradley Patrick Erik , Jahn Markus Wilhelm
Published: March 2020

Space filling curves are widely used in computer science. In particular, Hilbert curves and their generalizations to higher dimension are used as an indexing method because of their nice locality properties. This article generalizes this concept to the systematic construction of $p$-adic versions of Hilbert curves based on special affine transformations of the $p$-adic Gray code and develops a scaled indexing method for data taken from high-dimensional spaces based on these new curves, which with increasing dimension is shown to be less space consuming than the optimal standard static Hilbert curve index. A measure is derived, which allows to assess the local sparsity of a dataset, and is tested on some real-world data.