bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal microarray analysis in fetuses with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract: A prospective cohort study and meta‐analysis
Authors: Li Shuyuan , Han Xu , Wang Yanlin , Chen Songchang , Niu Jianmei , Qian Zhaoxia , Li Pin , Jin Li , Xu Chenming
Published: January 2019

Objective

To evaluate the usefulness and incremental diagnostic yield of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) compared with standard karyotyping in fetuses with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT).

Methods

A prospective cohort study and systematic review of the literature were conducted. In the prospective cohort study, 123 fetuses with CAKUT, as detected by prenatal ultrasound at our center, were enrolled and evaluated using karyotyping and CMA. In the meta‐analysis, articles in PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge databases describing copy number variations (CNVs) in prenatal cases of CAKUT were included.

Results

Among the 123 fetuses in our prospective cohort study, 13 fetuses were detected with chromosomal abnormalities or submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities by both karyotyping and CMA. In the remaining 110 fetuses, four pathogenic CNVs in four fetuses were only detected by CMA, indicating an excess diagnostic yield of 3.6%. Six publications and our own study met the inclusion criteria for the meta‐analysis. In total, 615 fetuses with CAKUT were included. The pooled data from all of the reviewed studies indicate that the incremental yield of CMA over karyotyping was 3.8%.

Conclusion

The use of CMA provides a 3.8% incremental yield of detecting pathogenic CNVs in fetuses with CAKUT and normal karyotype.
Optically Induced Long‐Range Coupling Studies in a Single GaAs Laterally Coupled Quantum Dot
Authors: Kim Heedae , Kim Jong Su
Published: January 2019

Excitation intensity dependent time‐integrated/‐resolved photoluminescence measurements have been performed on a single GaAs laterally coupled quantum dot to understand the long‐range (over 30‐nm distance) optical couplings. When linearly polarized laser excitation is increased parallel to the lateral coupling direction , a coupled bi‐exciton, which comes from both quantum dots 1 and 2 of a coupled dot, emerges with a spectral redshift. Drastically different power factors are observed separately in two different localized excitons, and an extremely larger diamagnetic coefficient is measured from a coupled bi‐exciton. In addition, a decay time in coupled bi‐exciton is obtained that is nearly two times longer than those in localized bi‐excitons when the excitation intensities are increased. The correlations from power‐dependent photoluminescence intensities and decay rates are attributed to exciton transfer between the two quantum dots based on dipole–dipole interactions.
Pheophorbide A from Gelidium amansii improves postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice through α‐glucosidase inhibition
Authors: Kim Min Jung , Kim Hak Ju , Han Ji Sook
Published: January 2019

This study was designed to determine the inhibitory effects of pheophorbide A on carbohydrate digesting enzymes and its ability to improve postprandial hyperglycemia in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic mice. Pheophorbide A caused noticeable inhibitory effects on α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase, with half‐maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 80.65 ± 5.90 and 76.48 ± 6.31 μM, respectively. The pheophorbide‐mediated inhibition of α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase was significantly more effective than that of the positive control, acarbose. The increase in postprandial blood glucose levels was more significantly suppressed in the pheophorbide A group than in the control group of STZ‐induced diabetic mice. In addition, the area under the curve was decreased by pheophorbide A intake in STZ‐induced diabetic mice. Our results suggested that pheophorbide A may help to improve postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting the activity of carbohydrate digesting enzymes.
Regioselective Synthesis of Functionalized 1,3‐Thiazine‐4‐ones via Multicomponent Click Reaction Approach
Authors: Hussen Abdulkadir Shube , Monga Aparna , Sharma Anuj
Published: January 2019

Herein, we disclose a synthetic strategy for the preparation of functionalized thiazinones under exceptionally ambient condition via domino multicomponent click reaction. The protocol utilizes readily available starting materials: phenylisothiocyanates, hydrazine monohydrate and diethyl but‐2‐ynedioate or dimethyl but‐2‐ynedioate. The reaction condition merely requires mixing of substrates at room temperature without using any catalyst and/or solvent.
Structural Coloration with Nonclose‐Packed Array of Bidisperse Colloidal Particles
Authors: Lee Gun Ho , Kim Jong Bin , Choi Tae Min , Lee Jung Min , Kim Shin‐Hyun
Published: January 2019

Colloidal crystals and glasses have their own photonic effects. Colloidal crystals show high reflectivity at narrowband, whereas colloidal glasses show low reflectivity at broadband. To compromise the opposite optical properties, a simple means is suggested to control the colloidal arrangement between crystal and glass by employing two different sizes of silica particles with repulsive interparticle potential. Monodisperse silica particles with repulsive potential spontaneously form crystalline structure at volume fraction far below 0.74. When two different sizes of silica particles coexist, the arrangement of silica particles is significantly influenced by two parameters: size contrast and mixing ratio. When the size contrast is small, a long‐range order is partially conserved in the entire mixing ratio, resulting in a pronounced reflectance peak and brilliant structural color. When the size contrast is large, the long‐range order is rapidly reduced along with mixing ratio. Nevertheless, a short‐range order survives, which causes low reflectivity at a broad wavelength, developing faint structural colors. These findings offer an insight into controlling the colloidal arrangements and provide a simple way to tune the optical property of colloidal arrays for structural coloration.
Development of a new steel section for reinforcing of steel‐reinforced concrete‐filled steel tubular columns
Authors: Farajpourbonab Ebrahim
Published: January 2019

This article presents an experimental study to investigate the strength of steel‐reinforced concrete‐filled steel tubular (SRCFT) columns reinforced with castellated and common cruciform steel columns under compressive axial load. SRCFT columns are constructed by embedding a reinforcing steel section into the concrete‐filled steel tube (CFT) column, and in this article, a new structural steel shape, namely castellated cruciform steel section, for reinforcing of SRCFT columns was designed. Investigation of SRCFT columns reinforced with castellated steel section indicates evidence of higher strength and applicability in comparison with common reinforcing steel section. A numerical investigation was also carried out with finite element analysis to study the structural behavior of SRCFT columns under lateral cyclic loading. A reasonable agreement was obtained between the results of finite element analysis and the experimental test under axial and lateral cyclic loading. The variables studied included the effect of various types of reinforcing steel sections, flange boost effects of castellated reinforcing steel section, length of columns, compressive strength of concrete, and the tube thickness. As a result, it was revealed that the SRCFT specimen reinforced with castellated cruciform steel sections was effective in enhancing the seismic performance toward more stable hysteresis curves, lower strength degradation, and higher energy dissipation as compared with SRCFT specimens reinforced with common cruciform steel sections.
Phosphorescent Pt(II) Emitters for OLEDs: From Triarylboron‐Functionalized Bidentate Complexes to Compounds with Macrocyclic Chelating Ligands
Authors: Wang Xiang , Wang Suning
Published: January 2019

The development of organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) has attracted enormous research efforts from both academia and industry in the past decades and tremendous progress has been made. However, the low operation lifetime of the blue phosphorescent OLEDs remains as one of the greatest bottlenecks limiting further applications of OLEDs. To address this problem, design and synthesis of triplet emitters with high phosphorescence quantum yield (ΦP) and adequate thermal, chemical, electrical and ultraviolet (UV) stabilities are vital. This review summarizes the progress we made on the development of efficient and robust phosphorescent emitters based on cyclometalated Pt(II) compounds, particularly the ones with blue emission, starting from complexes with triarylboron‐functionalized bidentate ligand to molecules incorporating tetradentate and macrocyclic ligands, with emphasis on their structure‐property relationships.
Type IIA flux vacua with mobile D6-branes
Authors: Escobar Dagoberto , Marchesano Fernando , Staessens Wieland
Published: January 2019

Abstract

We analyse type IIA Calabi-Yau orientifolds with background fluxes and D6-branes. The presence of D6-brane deformation moduli redefines the 4d dilaton and complex structure fields and complicates the analysis of such vacua in terms of the effective Kähler potential and superpotential. One may however formulate the F-term scalar potential as a bilinear form on the flux-axion polynomialsρAinvariant under the discrete shift symmetries of the 4d effective theory. We express the conditions for Minkoswki and AdS flux vacua in terms of such polynomials, which allow to extend the analysis to include vacua with mobile D6-branes. We find a new, more general class of$$ \mathcal{N}=0 $$N=0Minkowski vacua, which nevertheless present a fairly simple structure of (contravariant) F-terms. We compute the soft-term spectrum for chiral models of intersecting D6-branes in such vacua, finding a quite universal pattern.
Finite-size scaling for four-dimensional Higgs-Yukawa model near the Gaussian fixed point
Authors: Chu David Y.-J. , Jansen Karl , Knippschild Bastian , Lin C.-J. David
Published: January 2019

Abstract

We analyse finite-size scaling behaviour of a four-dimensional Higgs-Yukawa model near the Gaussian infrared fixed point. Through improving the mean-field scaling laws by solving one-loop renormalisation group equations, the triviality property of this model can be manifested in the volume-dependence of moments of the scalar-field zero mode. The scaling formulae for the moments are derived in this work with the inclusion of the leading-logarithmic corrections. To test these formulae, we confront them with data from lattice simulations in a simpler model, namely the O(4) pure scalar theory, and find numerical evidence of good agreement. Our results of the finite-size scaling can in principle be employed to establish triviality of Higgs-Yukawa models, or to search for alternative scenarios in studying their fixed-point structure, if sufficiently large lattices can be reached.
Weak convergence of the number of vertices at intermediate levels of random recursive trees
Authors: Iksanov Alexander , Kabluchko Zakhar
Published: January 2019

Let Xn(k) be the number of vertices at level k in a random recursive tree with n+1 vertices. We are interested in the asymptotic behavior of Xn(k) for intermediate levels k=kn satisfying kn→∞ and kn=o(logn) as n→∞. In particular, we prove weak convergence of finite-dimensional distributions for the process (Xn ([knu]))u>0, properly normalized and centered, as n→∞. The limit is a centered Gaussian process with covariance (u,v)↦(u+v)−1. One-dimensional distributional convergence of Xn(kn), properly normalized and centered, was obtained with the help of analytic tools by Fuchs et al. (2006). In contrast, our proofs, which are probabilistic in nature, exploit a connection of our model with certain Crump–Mode–Jagers branching processes.
Learning leadership? Elite Ugandan students and late colonial politics
Authors: Summers Carol
Published: January 2019

In Uganda, teaching and learning were important metaphors for colonial rule, suggesting a benign protectorate under Britain's guidance. Ugandans, though, repurposed images of teaching, studying and educational sponsorship. Drawing on indigenous ideas about effective education as a sort of experiential education in leadership, they perceived student activism as a resource for a new political and social system. Articulate Ugandans sought elite British education as a weapon. Others emphasized the harsh competitiveness of Uganda's elite schools as the basis for new class solidarities. And educated men saw their ownership of schools as a foundation on which to build political followings as they worked to guide the country. Student activism in Uganda emphasized educated Ugandans’ individual and collective practice in power and leadership.
Dairy foods and bone health throughout the lifespan: a critical appraisal of the evidence
Authors: Iuliano Sandra , Hill Tom R.
Published: January 2019

The consumption of high-Ca, high-protein dairy foods (i.e. milk, cheese, yogurt) is advocated for bone health across the lifespan to reduce the risk of low-trauma fractures. However, to date, the anti-fracture efficacy of dairy food consumption has not been demonstrated in randomised controlled trials but inferred from cross-sectional and prospective studies. The anti-fracture efficacy of dairy food consumption is plausible, but testing this requires a robust study design to ensure outcomes are suitably answering this important public health question. The evidence of skeletal benefits of dairy food consumption is equivocal, not because it may not be efficacious but because the study design and execution are often inadequate. The key issues are compliance with dietary intervention, dropouts, sample sizes and most importantly lack of deficiency before intervention. Without careful appraisal of the design and execution of available studies, precarious interpretations of outcomes may be made from these poorly designed or executed studies, without consideration of how study design may be improved. Dairy food interventions in children are further hampered by heterogeneity in growth: in particular sex and maturity-related differences in the magnitude, timing, location and surface-specific site of bone accrual. Outcomes of studies combining children of different sexes and maturity status may be masked or exaggerated by these differences in growth, so inaccurate conclusions are drawn from results. Until these critical issues in study design are considered in future dairy food interventions, the anti-fracture efficacy of dairy food consumption may remain unknown and continue to be based on conjecture.
‘Smart’ grommets
Authors: Goncalves N , Lubbe D , Peer S , Fagan J
Published: January 2019

Objective

A novel, smartphone-based technique for endoscopic grommet insertion is presented.

Results and conclusion

This method is both cost-effective and time-saving, offering a valuable alternative to the traditional microscope-based method in a resource-constrained setting.
‘Situational Analysis’ and Economics: an attempt at clarification
Authors: Palacio-Vera Alfonso
Published: January 2019

Popper’s ‘Situational Analysis’ (SA) constitutes his methodological proposal for the social sciences. We claim that the two hallmarks of SA are: (i) that scientists assume they possess a ‘wider’ view of the problem-situation than actors do, and (ii) use the model as an ideal ‘benchmark’ scenario to identify thedeviationof actors’ actual behaviour from the former. We argue that SA is not a generalization of the neoclassical theory of individual behaviour but captures instead the methodology adopted by modern behavioural economists. Last, we argue that SA highlights a way of acquiring knowledge that has gone unnoticed in the literature.
Failure, Trauma, and the Theatre of Negativity: the New Tragic in Contemporary Theatre and Performance
Authors: Mangold Alex
Published: January 2019

In this article, Alex Mangold identifies failure as a defining element of tragedy and argues that traditional understandings of the genre have been too narrow. Here, he asserts that tragic failure contributes to a tragic ‘mode’ that transcends genre definitions and, instead, extends to all kinds of contemporary theatre and performance. Examining a wide range of performance examples, including work from Sophocles to Sarah Kane, Forced Entertainment, Sasha Waltz, and Orlan, he argues that tragic failure, as it has come to be realized in examples of postdramatic writing and in site-specific or dance-based performance, is presented as an option, a dramatic choice, an outcome or part of an overall denial of dramatic form. The true power of the new tragic consequently lies in its ability to foster social change and a more ethical stance toward social dystopias. Alex Mangold lectures in the Department of Modern Languages at Aberystwyth University. He is co-editor (with Broderick Chow) of Žižek and Performance (Palgrave, 2014) and has published articles and chapters on the work of Sarah Kane and Howard Barker.
-ADIC -FUNCTIONS FOR ORDINARY FAMILIES ON SYMPLECTIC GROUPS
Authors: Liu Zheng
Published: January 2019

We construct the$p$-adic standard$L$-functions for ordinary families of Hecke eigensystems of the symplectic group$\operatorname{Sp}(2n)_{/\mathbb{Q}}$using the doubling method. We explain a clear and simple strategy of choosing the local sections for the Siegel Eisenstein series on the doubling group$\operatorname{Sp}(4n)_{/\mathbb{Q}}$, which guarantees the nonvanishing of local zeta integrals and allows us to$p$-adically interpolate the restrictions of the Siegel Eisenstein series to$\operatorname{Sp}(2n)_{/\mathbb{Q}}\times \operatorname{Sp}(2n)_{/\mathbb{Q}}$.
Magnitude of Earthquakes Controls the Size Distribution of Their Triggered Events
Authors: Nandan Shyam , Ouillon Guy , Sornette Didier
Published: January 2019

The driving concept behind one of the most successful statistical forecasting models, the Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model, has been that the seismicity is driven by spontaneously occurring background earthquakes that cascade into multitudes of triggered earthquakes. In nearly all generalizations of the ETAS model, the magnitudes of the background and the triggered earthquakes are assumed to follow Gutenberg‐Richter law with the same exponent (βvalue). Furthermore, the magnitudes of the triggered earthquakes are always assumed to be independent of the magnitude of the triggering earthquake. Using an expectation maximization algorithm applied to the Californian earthquake catalog, we show that the distribution of earthquake magnitudes exhibits three distinctβvalues:βbfor background events andβa − δandβa + δ, respectively, for triggered events below and above the magnitude of the triggering earthquake; the two last values express a correlation between the magnitudes of triggered events with that of the triggering earthquake, a feature so far absent in all proposed operational generalizations of the ETAS model. The ETAS model incorporating this kinked magnitude distribution provides by far the best description of seismic catalogs and could thus have the best forecasting potential. We speculate that the kinked magnitude distribution may result from the system tending to restore the symmetry of the regional displacement gradient tensor that has been broken by the initiating event. The general emerging concept could be that while the background events occur primarily to accommodate the symmetric stress tensor at the boundaries of the system, the triggered earthquakes are quasi‐Goldstone fluctuations of a self‐organized critical deformation state.
Numerical Study of Shear Stress Distribution Over Sand Ripples Under Terrestrial and Martian Conditions
Authors: Siminovich A. , Elperin T. , Katra I. , Kok J. F. , Sullivan R. , Silvestro S. , Yizhaq H.
Published: January 2019

Ripples occur on Earth and Mars in a range of sizes. From terrestrial studies, ripple size is known to depend on grain‐size frequency, wind duration, wind strength (including stronger winds that can flatten ripples), and fundamental environmental factors that differ between the two planets. Here we use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) experiments to model boundary layer shear stresses applied to aeolian ripple surfaces, to investigate how these stresses might differ between Earth and Mars. CFD experiments used ANSYS Fluent, with inlet wind speeds of 10 and 15 m/s for both planetary environments. Ripple profiles for Earth and Mars were developed using saltation and reptation properties modeled by the numerical saltation model COMSALT (Kok & Renno, 2009, https://doi.org.10.1029/2009JDO11702) to develop ripple profiles using the numerical technique of Yizhaq et al. (2004, https://doi.org.10.1016/j.physd.2004.03.015). Although the CFD experiments using these inputs could not include the effects of a saltation cloud, results are robust enough to indicate clearly that for similar modeled wind speeds on Earth and Mars, boundary layer shear stress applied to ripple surfaces is greater on Earth under conditions for which sand transport is expected. These results indicate that ripples can grow larger on Mars than on Earth, because for typical Martian wind speeds the shear velocity at the ripple crests is below the fluid threshold.
The ketogenic diet influences taxonomic and functional composition of the gut microbiota in children with severe epilepsy
Authors: Lindefeldt Marie , Eng Alexander , Darban Hamid , Bjerkner Annelie , Zetterström Cecilia K , Allander Tobias , Andersson Björn , Borenstein Elhanan , Dahlin Maria , Prast-Nielsen Stefanie
Published: January 2019

The gut microbiota has been linked to various neurological disorders via the gut–brain axis. Diet influences the composition of the gut microbiota. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet established for treatment of therapy-resistant epilepsy in children. Its efficacy in reducing seizures has been confirmed, but the mechanisms remain elusive. The diet has also shown positive effects in a wide range of other diseases, including Alzheimer’s, depression, autism, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. We collected fecal samples from 12 children with therapy-resistant epilepsy before starting KD and after 3 months on the diet. Parents did not start KD and served as diet controls. Applying shotgun metagenomic DNA sequencing, both taxonomic and functional profiles were established. Here we report that alpha diversity is not changed significantly during the diet, but differences in both taxonomic and functional composition are detected. Relative abundance of bifidobacteria as well asE. rectaleandDialisteris significantly diminished during the intervention. An increase in relative abundance ofE. coliis observed on KD. Functional analysis revealed changes in 29 SEED subsystems including the reduction of seven pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Decomposition of these shifts indicates that bifidobacteria andEscherichiaare important contributors to the observed functional shifts. As relative abundance of health-promoting, fiber-consuming bacteria becomes less abundant during KD, we raise concern about the effects of the diet on the gut microbiota and overall health. Further studies need to investigate whether these changes are necessary for the therapeutic effect of KD.
Machine learning techniques for state recognition and auto-tuning in quantum dots
Authors: Kalantre Sandesh S. , Zwolak Justyna P. , Ragole Stephen , Wu Xingyao , Zimmerman Neil M. , Stewart M. D. , Taylor Jacob M.
Published: January 2019

Recent progress in building large-scale quantum devices for exploring quantum computing and simulation has relied upon effective tools for achieving and maintaining good experimental parameters, i.e., tuning up devices. In many cases, including quantum dot-based architectures, the parameter space grows substantially with the number of qubits, and may become a limit to scalability. Fortunately, machine learning techniques for pattern recognition and image classification, using so-called deep neural networks, have shown surprising successes for computer-aided understanding of complex systems. We propose a new paradigm for fully automated experimental initialization through a closed-loop system relying on machine learning and optimization techniques. We use deep convolutional neural networks to characterize states and charge configurations of semiconductor quantum dot arrays when only measurements of a current−voltage characteristic of transport are available. For simplicity, we model a semiconductor nanowire connected to leads and capacitively coupled to depletion gates using the Thomas−Fermi approximation and Coulomb blockade physics. We then generate labeled training data for the neural networks, and find at least 90 % accuracy for charge and state identification for single and double dots. Using these characterization networks, we can then optimize the parameter space to achieve a desired configuration of the array, a technique we call “auto-tuning”. Finally, we show how such techniques can be implemented in an experimental setting by applying our approach to an experimental dataset, and outline further problems in this domain, from using charge sensing data to extensions to full one- and two-dimensional arrays, that can be tackled with machine learning.
Microplate-based surface area assay for rapid phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing
Authors: Flentie Kelly , Spears Benjamin R , Chen Felicia , Purmort Nathan B , DaPonte Kayla , Viveiros Emma , Phelan Nicholas , Krebill Cicely , Flyer Alec N. , Hooper David C , Smalley David L. , Ferraro Mary Jane , Vacic Aleksandar , Stern Eric
Published: January 2019

Rapid delivery of proper antibiotic therapies to infectious disease patients is essential for improving patient outcomes, decreasing hospital lengths-of-stay, and combating the antibiotic resistance epidemic. Antibiotic stewardship programs are designed to address these issues by coordinating hospital efforts to rapidly deliver the most effective antibiotics for each patient, which requires bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Despite the clinical need for fast susceptibility testing over a wide range of antibiotics, conventional phenotypic AST requires overnight incubations, and new rapid phenotypic AST platforms restrict the number of antibiotics tested for each patient. Here, we introduce a novel approach to AST based on signal amplification of bacterial surfaces that enables phenotypic AST within 5 hours for non-fastidious bacteria. By binding bacterial surfaces, this novel method allows more accurate measurements of bacterial replication in instances where organisms filament or swell in response to antibiotic exposure. Further, as an endpoint assay performed on standard microplates, this method should enable parallel testing of more antibiotics than is currently possible with available automated systems. This technology has the potential to revolutionize clinical practice by providing rapid and accurate phenotypic AST data for virtually all available antibiotics in a single test.
Circulating GATA2 mRNA is decreased among women destined to develop preeclampsia and may be of endothelial origin
Authors: Whigham Carole-Anne , MacDonald Teresa M. , Walker Susan P. , Pritchard Natasha , Hannan Natalie J. , Cannon Ping , Nguyen Tuong Vi , Hastie Roxanne , Tong Stephen , Kaitu’u-Lino Tu’uhevaha J.
Published: January 2019

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication associated with elevated placental secretion of anti-angiogenic factors, maternal endothelial dysfunction and organ injury. GATA2 is a transcription factor expressed in the endothelium which regulates vascular homeostasis by controlling transcription of genes and microRNAs, including endothelial miR126. We assessed GATA2 and miR126 in preeclampsia. Whole blood circulating GATA2 mRNA and miR126 expression were significantly decreased in women with established early-onset preeclampsia compared to gestation-matched controls (p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively). Using case-control groups selected from a large prospective cohort, whole blood circulating GATA2 mRNA at both 28 and 36 weeks’ gestation was significantly reduced prior to the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia (p = 0.012, p = 0.015 respectively). There were no differences in GATA2 mRNA or protein expression in preeclamptic placentas compared to controls, suggesting the placenta is an unlikely source. Inducing endothelial dysfunction in vitro by administering either tumour necrosis factor-α or placenta-conditioned media to endothelial cells, significantly reduced GATA2 mRNA expression (p < 0.0001), suggesting the reduced levels of circulating GATA2 mRNA may be of endothelial origin. Circulating GATA2 mRNA is decreased in women with established preeclampsia and decreased up to 12 weeks preceding onset of disease. Circulating mRNAs of endothelial origin may be a novel source of biomarker discovery for preeclampsia.
Switchable valley splitting by external electric field effect in graphene/CrI3 heterostructures
Authors: Farooq M. Umar , Hong Jisang
Published: January 2019

Achieving and controlling valley splitting is a core issue for valleytronics applications. Conventionally, valley splitting was achieved by applying an external magnetic field or structural manipulation. However, this approach is less efficient. Here, we explored single layer and bilayer graphene on CrI3 (g-CrI3 and 2g-CrI3) heterostructures to induce valley splitting. In g-CrI3, we found a valley splitting with the majority gap difference of Δ1↑ − Δ2↑ = 44 meV. Even in 2g-CrI3 system, we also found valley splitting of Δ1↑ − Δ2↑ = 21 meV. Moreover, we also investigated the electric field effect on valley splitting. In both systems, we observed that valley splitting could be switched in the majority spin band. For instance, the sign of gap difference at ±K changed from Δ1↑ > Δ2↑ at zero field to Δ1↑ < Δ2↑ at a small applied electric field of 0.1 V/Å. With further increase of the electric field to 0.2 V/Å, valley splitting disappeared. Thus, we propose that a large value of valley splitting can be achieved and the sign of splitting can also be switched with electric field instead of magnetic field. This feature may be beneficial for designing of valleytronic based information process devices.
Nanoscale mosaicity revealed in peptide microcrystals by scanning electron nanodiffraction
Authors: Gallagher-Jones Marcus , Ophus Colin , Bustillo Karen C. , Boyer David R. , Panova Ouliana , Glynn Calina , Zee Chih-Te , Ciston Jim , Mancia Kevin Canton , Minor Andrew M. , Rodriguez Jose A.
Published: January 2019

Changes in lattice structure across sub-regions of protein crystals are challenging to assess when relying on whole crystal measurements. Because of this difficulty, macromolecular structure determination from protein micro and nanocrystals requires assumptions of bulk crystallinity and domain block substructure. Here we map lattice structure across micron size areas of cryogenically preserved three−dimensional peptide crystals using a nano-focused electron beam. This approach produces diffraction from as few as 1500 molecules in a crystal, is sensitive to crystal thickness and three−dimensional lattice orientation. Real-space maps reconstructed from unsupervised classification of diffraction patterns across a crystal reveal regions of crystal order/disorder and three−dimensional lattice tilts on the sub-100nm scale. The nanoscale lattice reorientation observed in the micron-sized peptide crystal lattices studied here provides a direct view of their plasticity. Knowledge of these features facilitates an improved understanding of peptide assemblies that could aid in the determination of structures from nano- and microcrystals by single or serial crystal electron diffraction.
Gold nanoparticle-mediated signal amplification of liquid crystal biosensors for dopamine
Authors: Nandi Rajib , Loitongbam Lisha , De Joydip , Jain Varsha , Pal Santanu Kumar
Published: January 2019

A new design was developed for detection of dopamine using a boronic acid based amphiphile at aqueous–liquid crystal interface. The detection was highly enhanced in presence of gold nanoparticles.
Effect of increasing liver blood flow on nanodrug clearance by the liver for enhanced antitumor therapy
Authors: Li Yongjing , Wan Jiaxun , Wang Fang , Guo Jia , Wang Changchun
Published: January 2019

A norepinephrine-loaded nano-system can serve as an effective auxiliary agent for reducing nanodrug clearance by the liver and enhancing tumor therapy.
Preparation of 1D ultrathin niobate nanobelts by liquid exfoliation as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation
Authors: Cheng Fangrui , Jiang Xin , Zhang Zepeng , Ma Renzhi , Sasaki Takayoshi , Pan Feng , Jing Xiping
Published: January 2019

The original driving force for the exfoliation of RbNbO3 to form one-dimensional (1D) niobate nanobelts is the combination of the hydration of Rb+ and the hydrolysis of (NbO3)nn− and the 1D ultrathin nanobelts show high photocatalytic activity.
Stationary polaron properties in organic crystalline semiconductors
Authors: Pereira Junior Marcelo Lopes , de Sousa Júnior Rafael Timóteo , e Silva Geraldo Magela , Ribeiro Júnior Luiz Antônio
Published: January 2019

Polarons play a crucial role in the charge transport mechanism when it comes to organic molecular crystals.
The role of secondary interactions on the preferred conformers of the fenchone–ethanol complex
Authors: Loru Donatella , Peña Isabel , Sanz M. Eugenia
Published: January 2019

Three conformers of the complex formed between fenchone, a natural common odorant, and ethanol, a mimic of serine's side chain, have been identified using high resolution rotational spectroscopy. All conformers show a main O⋯H–O hydrogen bond and C–H⋯O secondary weak interactions, which drive the relative arrangement of the two moieties.
Combined effects of graphene oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticle on human A549 cells: bioavailability, toxicity and mechanisms
Authors: Wu Bing , Wu Jialu , Liu Su , Shen Zhuoyan , Chen Ling , Zhang Xu-Xiang , Ren Hong-qiang
Published: January 2019

The toxic effects of multinanomaterial systems are receiving more attention due to their release of various nanomaterials.
Microbial degradation pathways of the herbicide bentazone in filter sand used for drinking water treatment
Authors: Hedegaard Mathilde J. , Prasse Carsten , Albrechtsen Hans-Jørgen
Published: January 2019

Three bentazone biodegradation pathways were identified in rapid sand filter material and relevant transformation products were less hazardous than bentazone.
Quantitative glucose release from softwood after pretreatment with low-cost ionic liquids
Authors: Gschwend Florence J. V. , Chambon Clementine L. , Biedka Marius , Brandt-Talbot Agnieszka , Fennell Paul S. , Hallett Jason P.
Published: January 2019

Softwood is an abundantly available feedstock for the bio-based industry, however, achieving cost-effective sugar release is particularly challenging owing to its guaiacyl-only lignin.
A green method for the production of an efficient bioimaging nanotool
Authors: Bloise Ermelinda , Di Bello Maria Pia , Mele Giuseppe , Rizzello Loris
Published: January 2019

The possibility of exploring basic biological phenomena requires the development of new and efficient bio-imaging tools.
Inhibition of proliferation and migration of tumor cells through lipoic acid-modified oligoethylenimine-mediated p53 gene delivery
Authors: Tang Xiuhui , Li Qing , Liang Xiao , Yang Jiebing , Liu Ziling , Li Quanshun
Published: January 2019

Inhibition of proliferation and migration of tumor cells through lipoic acid-modified oligoethylenimine-mediated p53 gene delivery.
Three-dimensional interconnected Co(OH)2 nanosheets on Ti mesh as a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for hydrazine detection
Authors: Wang Jiankang , Xie Taiping , Deng Qihuang , Wang Yajing , Zhu Quanxi , Liu Songli
Published: January 2019

Three-dimensional interconnected Co(OH)2 nanosheets on TM, prepared by low cost and simple electrodeposition method, exhibit highly sensitive electrochemical hydrazine detection.
Hypersonic poration of supported lipid bilayers
Authors: Lu Yao , Huskens Jurriaan , Pang Wei , Duan Xuexin
Published: January 2019

Hypersound (ultrasound of gigahertz (GHz) frequency) has been recently introduced as a new type of membrane-disruption method for cells, vesicles and supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), with the potential to improve the efficiency of drug and gene delivery for biomedical applications.
Sensitized [2 + 2] intramolecular photocycloaddition of unsaturated enones using UV LEDs in a continuous flow reactor: kinetic and preparative aspects
Authors: El Achi Nassim , Gelat Fabien , Cheval Nicolas P. , Mazzah Ahmed , Bakkour Youssef , Penhoat Maël , Chausset-Boissarie Laëtitia , Rolando Christian
Published: January 2019

A photocatalysed cycloaddition by benzophenone derivatives under flow and UVA LED irradiation is described.
A chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol)-ran-poly(propylene glycol) blend as an eco-benign separator and binder for quasi-solid-state supercapacitor applications
Authors: Raja M. , Sadhasivam Balaji , Naik R Janraj , R Dhamodharan , Ramanujam Kothandaraman
Published: January 2019

In this study chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol)-ran-poly(propylene glycol) blend was developed as separator and binder for supercapacitor (SC) applications. The activated carbon (ACTS-900) derived fromTamarindus indicaseeds is used as active electrode material.
Overcoming synthetic metastabilities and revealing metal-to-insulator transition & thermistor bi-functionalities for d-band correlation perovskite nickelates
Authors: Chen Jikun , Hu Haiyang , Wang Jiaou , Yajima Takeaki , Ge Binghui , Ke Xinyou , Dong Hongliang , Jiang Yong , Chen Nuofu
Published: January 2019

Effective synthesis of rare-earth nickelates with various rare earth compositions enriches their thermistor functionality in addition to their metal to insulator transitions.
Forest dielectric characteristics for navigation satellites signals in L 1 range
Authors: Sorokin Аnatoly , Podoprigora Vladimir , Ponomarev Evgenii
Published: January 2019

A structural dielectric model of the forest is presented taking into account the wood Biomass distribution. The multi-scale structural formations of the individual trees and the stand as a whole as a hierarchical system of non-interacting components of the mixed dielectric are discussed. Layers of crowns and trunks are distinguished as anisotropic dielectric media with gradient boundaries. The possibility of using the orientation parameter of the order of branches in the crown layer to estimate the gradients of the effective permittivity of the inhomogeneous distribution and its spatial anisotropy is analyzed. A comparative analysis of the features of the effective dielectric permittivity of pine and birch forests is carried out. The possibilities of using a layered anisotropic dielectric forest model to describe the transformation of GPS and GLONASS signals in order to restore the biometric characteristics of the forest are considered.
ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE AS A NATURAL GEOPHYSICAL OBJECT
Authors: Dergunov Alexander V. , Kashkin Valentin B. , Rubleva Тatyana V. , Romanov Alexey A. , Odintsov Roman V.
Published: January 2019

Satellite data on total ozone content for 1985-2015 have been used. Methods of evaluating ozone deficit in the polar region and its excess in middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere have been developed. In early spring the ozone molecules outflow and the ozone anomaly forms. Ozone inflows the middle latitudes, its total content increases and a ring with elevated TO forms. In October-November the dynamic process reverses, from the ring the ozone molecules transfer to the polar latitudes. The amount of ozone leaving the ring into the polar regions and filling the ozone anomaly is virtually the same. The results produces indicate that the Antarctic ozone hole is a natural geophysical formation.
Integration of the PCM with intra-ventilation for improved thermal and inertial characteristics of the building envelope
Authors: Laaouatni Amine , Martaj Nadia , Bennacer Rachid , El Omari Mohamed , Bin Liu , El Ganaoui Mohammed , Merabtine Abdelatif
Published: January 2019

Several solutions based on phase change materials (PCM) are used for the thermal regulation of buildings. In this study, a combination of the inertial effect of PCM and intra-ventilation regulation is proposed. The purpose is to increase the thermal inertia of the building envelope leading to a fast passive and active cooling of the indoor environment. The principle of the solution is the use of a polymer-stabilized paraffin in external walls integrating ventilation pipes. For that, an experimental study of a hollow concrete block with PCM and ventilation tubes is conducted to test its thermal response. Gathered to this part, a 3D numerical model is developed under COMSOL Multiphysics®. The obtained simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. A parametric study is then performed including its actual characteristics against several conditions; it is revealed that the use of PCM gathered to the ventilation tubes enhances the thermal phase shift. It is stated that the forced ventilation through the tubes makes it possible to manage the energy and contribute to the renewal of the air.
Nonisothermal desorption at nucleate boiling in a layer of aqueous salt solution
Authors: Morozov Vladimir , Elistratov Dmitriy
Published: January 2019

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of nonisothermal desorption at nucleate boiling of layers of aqueous salt solutions of LiBr and CaCl2. The height of the layers is 2.8 mm. The wall temperature is 120 °C. The drop in the temperature of the interfacial surface (Ts) for salt solutions and distillate is associated with low thermal conductivity of the metal wall (titanium) and intense heat flow at nucleate boiling. A heat balance for a free liquid interface has been worked out. In 75 seconds after the beginning of evaporation, the heat flux for aqueous becomes quasi-permanent, and for aqueous salt solutions of CaCl2and LiBr, the heat flux continuously decreases with time. This is due to the increase in the salt concentration in the solution and the drop in the equilibrium partial pressure of the vapor.
Investigation of a promising method for spraying liquid hydrocarbons using the shadow photography method
Authors: Anufriev Igor , Shadrin Evgeniy , Kopyev Evgeniy
Published: January 2019

A promising method for spraying liquid hydrocarbons by a high-speed jet of superheated steam was studied experimentally. Information on the disperse composition and structure of the gas-droplet flow during the spraying of used transmission automotive oil was obtained using the method of shadow photography. Size distributions of fuel droplets were obtained in a wide range of operating parameters (flow rate and temperature of steam, fuel consumption).
Wetting and spreading of droplets on rough aluminum surfaces
Authors: Islamova Anastasia , Ponomarev Konstantin
Published: January 2019

The wetting and spreading of distilled water droplets on abrasion-treated aluminum alloy AlMg 6 surfaces were studied. Using the shadow method, the dependences of the dynamic contact angle and hysteresis on the arithmetic mean of the profile deviation were obtained. Based on the analysis of the height and hybrid 3D roughness parameters, a relationship between the texture and spreading of the droplet is established.
Influence of the relative dimensions of the cavity on the conjugate convective heat transfer and on the shape of crystallization fronts in the method of Horizontal Directed Crystallization
Authors: Kislitsyn Stepan A.
Published: January 2019

The process of water crystallization in rectangular cavities is numerically studied. The liquid being studied is water having an inverse temperature dependence of the density. Calculations were carried out with a suddenly cooled vertical wall of a rectangular cavity. The initial temperature of the melt is maintained on the opposite wall. The finite element method was used to solve a system of equations for the nonstationary free convection of a melt, taking into account the dependence of the density on temperature. The heat conduction equation in the solidified substance was also solved. The problems were solved in a conjugate formulation taking into account the release of the latent heat of
crystallization at the liquid-solid interface.
Comparison of RANS and scale-resolving approaches when modelling the turbulent flow behind a bluff body
Authors: Pogudalina Svetlana V. , Fedorova Natalya N. , Valger Svetlana A.
Published: January 2019

In this paper, the results of a numerical simulation of the air flow in the vicinity of a parallelepiped fixed on a plate are presented. The 3D calculations were performed with the ANSYS Fluent software using scale-resolving DES approach. The obtained results are compared with the experimental data and with the results of the previous numerical calculation.
Effect of Temperature and Wettability of the Substrate with Nanotubes Coating on the
Evaporation of Water Droplets
Authors: Semenov Andrey , Shatskiy Evgeniy
Published: January 2019

The paper presents an experimental study of evaporation of a millimeter-sized sessile water droplet into open atmosphere in a wide range of the temperature difference (from 0 to 76 K) between the solid substrate and the atmosphere. Two copper substrates were used in the experiments. One of them was polished to the root mean square roughness of about 20 nm. Another one was coated with a micrometer-thick film of single-walled carbon nanotubes. With the help of precise drop shape analysis system, the mode of droplet evaporation with pinned contact line was studied. No
appreciable difference was detected in evaporation droplet dynamics between the two substrates for the substrate temperatures from 24 to
100 °C.
Problems of acquisition and postprocessing of 3D scans of large architectural objects
Authors: Kęsik Jacek , Miłosz Marek , Montusiewicz Jerzy
Published: January 2019

The article presents the 3D scanning methodology for large architectural objects, using stationary laser scanners in case of objects of cultural heritage. The developed methodology was tested in the field during 3D scanning of architectural monuments of the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Particular attention is paid to technical and organisational problems of the 3D scanning process of architectural objects which appeared during the Second Scientific Expedition of the Lublin University of Technology to Central Asia. Next, methods for obtaining digital models adequate to the assumed archiving goals and dissemination of cultural heritage of Central Asia are presented. The described case study is, according to the authors, representative for 3D scanning of much-frequented architectural objects being monuments of great importance for cultural heritage.
Susceptibility of surface texture parameters to acquisition point clouds with digital data processing of data from optical measuring systems
Authors: Bachtiak-Radka Emilia , Dudzińska Sara , Grochała Daniel , Berczyński Stefan
Published: January 2019

Digital processing of the recorded point clouds on innovative surfaces could facilitate the operator’s planning of the metrological process and give more freedom in the assessment of the surface texture. The current state of knowledge about surface characteristics, precision and quality of measurements and especially the repeatability of measurements – not only in the laboratory environment but also in the industry pose a big challenge. The paper presents research works related to the identification of the impact of the method of acquisition point clouds using digital data processing on surface texture. The main assumption of the paper was to carry out, according to the prepared plan of the experiment, the series of sample measurements with the use of the optical measuring systems AltiSurf A520 in the Laboratory of Surface Topography at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. The next task was to determine the impact of the digital data processing strategy in order to identify the significance of the impact (conditions and methods of filtration), which in practice largely determines the repeatability and reproducibility of the parameter values of the geometry surface structure.