bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between Toxoplasma gondii exposure and paediatrics haematological malignancies: a case–control study
Authors: Kalantari Narges , Rezanejad Javad , Tamadoni Ahmad , Ghaffari Salman , Alipour Jaber , Bayani Masomeh
Published: August 2018

The possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and paediatric haematological malignancies in a group of patients and control subjects was evaluated in the present study. We performed an age-, gender- and residence frequency-matched case–control study of 101 blood cancer patients under 18 years of age, all of which were treated in Amirkola Pediatric Hospital. One hundred and thirty-eight control samples were gathered from the outpatient clinic in the hospital. All cases and controls were tested for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies and then IgG-positive subjects were evaluated for IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 37 (36.6%) of the cases and 12 (8.7%) subjects in the control group (odds ratio 6.07, 95% confidence interval 2.963–12.437, P < 0.0001). The median and interquartile range (IQR) of IgG titre from case group (7.7 (IQR 0.25–13.5)) was higher than the control (0.2 (IQR 0.1–0.5)) (P < 0.0001). The frequency of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG) in lymphoblastic leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia), Hodgkin's lymphoma and T–cell lymphoma were 33 (31.9%), 3 (50%) and 1(100%), respectively. Anti–T. gondii IgM was not detected in the IgG-positive patients in case group. In the case subjects, no significant difference was seen in the positive rates of T. gondii infection between genders (37.3% in male; 35.7% in female; P = 0.52) and ages groups (P = 0.31). This study demonstrated that T. gondii infection is prevalent in children with blood cancer. It also showed that toxoplasmosis may possibly be linked with an increased risk of childhood haematologic malignancies. Furthermore, these results may be helpful in research on blood neoplasia aetiology.
CHOSE, ITEM ET DISTINCTION : L’« HOMME VOLANT » D'AVICENNE AVEC ET CONTRE ABŪ HĀŠIM AL-ǦUBBĀ’Ī
Authors: Rashed Marwan
Published: August 2018

This article explores the intimate connection between Avicenna's “flying man” argument and the theory of modes in the school of Abū Hāšim al-Ǧubbā’ī (d. 933). It shows that Avicenna borrows arguments developed originally by Abū Hāšim in order to demonstrate that a definite mode belongs to the living being as a whole (ǧumla). He argues for the incorporeality of soul on the basis of this departure from Aristotelian and Neoplatonic psychology and modal ontology. Here one sees Avicenna's subtle engagement with a thinker to whose writings he reacted critically, yet whom he very likely saw as one of the greatest metaphysicians to write in Arabic.
Locating the 'missing wedge' artifacts from limited-angle CT reconstruction
Authors: Liu Jianhong , Guan Yong , Chen Liang , Bai Haobo , Wei Wenbin , Tian Yangchao , Liu Gang
Published: August 2018

'Missing wedge' problem exists in some kind of CT imaging situations, such as electron microscopy, x-ray nano-CT image, etc. Method such as iterative reconstruction algorithms, total variation based method were applied to improve the reconstruction quality, but the 'missing wedge' artifacts are still inevitable. In this paper, a method based on image processing technique was proposed to locate the 'missing wedge' artifacts in CT reconstruction. The result showed good performance on locating the artifacts, which also showed the potential in CT reconstruction and image analysis in nano-CT.
An iterative approach to precondition inference using constrained Horn clauses
Authors: KAFLE BISHOKSAN , GALLAGHER JOHN P. , GANGE GRAEME , SCHACHTE PETER , SØNDERGAARD HARALD , STUCKEY PETER J.
Published: August 2018

We present a method for automatic inference of conditions on the initial states of a program that guarantee that the safety assertions in the program are not violated. Constrained Horn clauses (CHCs) are used to model the program and assertions in a uniform way, and we use standard abstract interpretations to derive an over-approximation of the set ofunsafeinitial states. The precondition then is the constraint corresponding to the complement of that set, under-approximating the set ofsafeinitial states. This idea of complementation is not new, but previous attempts to exploit it have suffered from the loss of precision. Here we develop an iterative specialisation algorithm to give more precise, and in some cases optimal safety conditions. The algorithm combines existing transformations, namely constraint specialisation, partial evaluation and a trace elimination transformation. The last two of these transformations perform polyvariant specialisation, leading to disjunctive constraints which improve precision. The algorithm is implemented and tested on a benchmark suite of programs from the literature in precondition inference and software verification competitions.
Top-down and Bottom-up Evaluation Procedurally Integrated
Authors: WARREN DAVID S.
Published: August 2018

This paper describes how the Logic Programming System XSB combines top-down and bottom-up computation through the mechanisms of variant tabling and subsumptive tabling with abstraction, respectively.

It is well known that top-down evaluation of logical rules in Prolog has a procedural interpretation as recursive procedure invocation (Kowalski 1986). Tabling adds the intuition of short-circuiting redundant computations (Warren 1992). This paper shows how to introduce into tabled logic program evaluation a bottom-up component, whose procedural intuition is the initialization of a data structure, in which a relation is initially computed and filled, on first demand, and then used throughout the remainder of a larger computation for efficient lookup. This allows many Prolog programs to be expressed fully declaratively, programs which formerly required procedural features, such as assert, to be made efficient.
Proof-relevant Horn Clauses for Dependent Type Inference and Term Synthesis
Authors: FARKA FRANTIŠEK , KOMENDANTSKYA EKATERINA , HAMMOND KEVIN
Published: August 2018

First-order resolution has been used for type inference for many years, including in Hindley-Milner type inference, type-classes, and constrained data types. Dependent types are a new trend in functional languages. In this paper, we show that proof-relevant first-order resolution can play an important role in automating type inference and term synthesis for dependently typed languages. We propose a calculus that translates type inference and term synthesis problems in a dependently typed language to a logic program and a goal in the proof-relevant first-order Horn clause logic. The computed answer substitution and proof term then provide a solution to the given type inference and term synthesis problem. We prove the decidability and soundness of our method.
Translating LPOD and CR-Prolog2into standard answer set programs
Authors: LEE JOOHYUNG , YANG ZHUN
Published: August 2018

Logic Programs with Ordered Disjunction (LPOD) is an extension of standard answer set programs to handle preference using the construct of ordered disjunction, and CR-Prolog2is an extension of standard answer set programs with consistency restoring rules and LPOD-like ordered disjunction. We present reductions of each of these languages into the standard ASP language, which gives us an alternative way to understand the extensions in terms of the standard ASP language.
Le gérontologue et la télécommunication
Authors: Schelling Hans Rudolf
Published: August 2018

Récapitulation. Reto Weber, diplômé d’un CAS (Certificat d’études avancées) de l’Université de Zurich en gérontologie et Gestionnaire de produits senior chez Swisscom, se présente lors d’un entretien avec Hans Rudolf Schelling et présente son activité professionnelle dans la branche des télécommunications.
Senioren im digitalen Zeitalter – Herausforderungen und Chancen
Authors: Geissbuhler Antoine
Published: August 2018

Zusammenfassung. Im digitalen Zeitalter entdecken Patienten und Angehörige der Pflegeberufe neue Instrumente, welche die Einstellungen und Verhaltensweisen gegenüber Pflege und Gesundheit verändern. Diese Instrumente der Cybergesundheit eröffnen neue Möglichkeiten, um Patienten zu mehr Selbständigkeit zu verhelfen und die Übergänge in unseren komplexen Gesundheitssystemen zu sichern (﻿Topol, 2014﻿; ﻿Geissbuhler, 2012﻿). Sie kommen auf mehreren Ebenen zum Einsatz:
Der alte Mann und sein Roboter
Authors: Seifert Kurt
Published: August 2018

Zusammenfassung. Der Film ﻿Robot & Frank﻿ handelt vom Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Maschine und dreht sich um die Frage, ob die virtuelle Welt einen Ersatz für das bieten kann, was Menschen brauchen: Beziehungen, die Sinn vermitteln.
Design für Alle: Attraktiv und hilfreich
Authors: Knigge Mathias
Published: August 2018

Zusammenfassung. Produkte, Architektur und Dienstleistungen können durch altersbedingte Veränderungen schwer nutzbar sein. Der demografische Wandel erfordert eine neue Herangehensweise: Anstelle spezieller/defizit-orientierter Lösungen für wenige Konsumenten, die häufig als stigmatisierend empfunden werden, ist es sinnvoll, klare Mehrwerte für grosse Gruppen zu schaffen. Das Konzept «Design für Alle» bietet hier einen Ansatz, um attraktive Angebote zu entwickeln – unabhängig von Alter oder Behinderung.
SuperDARN Radar‐Derived HF Radio Attenuation During the September 2017 Solar Proton Events
Authors: Bland Emma C. , Heino Erkka , Kosch Michael J. , Partamies Noora
Published: August 2018

Two solar proton events in September 2017 had a significant impact on the operation of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), a global network of high‐frequency (HF) radars designed for observing F region ionospheric plasma convection. Strong polar cap absorption caused near‐total loss of radar backscatter, which prevented the primary SuperDARN data products from being determined for a period of several days. During this interval, the high‐latitude and polar cap radars measured unusually low levels of background atmospheric radio noise. We demonstrate that these background noise measurements can be used to observe the spatial and temporal evolution of the polar cap absorption region, using an approach similar to riometry. We find that the temporal evolution of the SuperDARN radar‐derived HF attenuation closely follows that of the cosmic noise absorption measured by a riometer. Attenuation of the atmospheric noise up to 10 dB at 12 MHz is measured within the northern polar cap, and up to 14 dB in the southern polar cap, which is consistent with the observed backscatter loss. Additionally, periods of enhanced attenuation lasting 2–4 hr are detected by the midlatitude radars in response to M‐ and X‐class solar flares. Our results demonstrate that SuperDARN's routine measurements of atmospheric radio noise can be used to monitor 8‐ to 20‐MHz radio attenuation from middle to polar latitudes, which may be used to supplement riometer data and also to investigate the causes of SuperDARN backscatter loss during space weather events.
LSPIV Measurements of Two‐Dimensional Flow Structure in Streams Using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems: 1. Accuracy Assessment Based on Comparison With Stationary Camera Platforms and In‐Stream Velocity Measurements
Authors: Lewis Quinn W. , Rhoads Bruce L.
Published: August 2018

Measuring two‐dimensional (2‐D) patterns of flow in rivers at high resolution over large areas is challenging using traditional velocity‐measurement methods, which provide data at specific locations or cross sections. Large‐scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) based on imagery obtained from fixed camera platforms can measure flow velocity on the surface of rivers and is generally accurate compared to near‐surface velocity measurements obtained by traditional methods. The proliferation of inexpensive small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) equipped with high‐resolution cameras and onboard GPS has the potential to facilitate measurements of flow patterns in rivers using LSPIV, but few studies have assessed the accuracy of sUAS‐derived LSPIV compared to fixed‐platform LSPIV and in‐stream velocity measurements. This study assesses the accuracy of sUAS‐based LSPIV for measuring 2‐D mean surface velocities as well as quasi‐instantaneous 2‐D velocities obtained from successive image frames. For persistent 2‐D flow, mean velocities derived from sUAS‐based LSPIV match those obtained by stationary camera platforms, and velocities measured by both LSPIV methods agree with near‐surface velocities measured by an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. Quasi‐instantaneous velocities are degraded by camera movement and low pixel resolution, but capturing the evolution of 2‐D flow structures is possible in certain circumstances. The results confirm that sUAS‐derived LSPIV provides accurate, high‐resolution measurements of mean surface velocities over large spatial areas of persistent 2‐D flow and can characterize evolving 2‐D flow structures under favorable conditions. sUAS‐based LSPIV is a valuable new method for mapping of 2‐D patterns of surface flow in rivers—an issue explored in a companion paper.
Characterizing and Modeling Seasonality in Extreme Rainfall
Authors: Iliopoulou Theano , Koutsoyiannis Demetris , Montanari Alberto
Published: August 2018

A comprehensive understanding of seasonality in extreme rainfall is essential for climate studies, flood prediction, and various hydrological applications such as scheduling season‐specific engineering works, intra‐annual management of reservoirs, seasonal flood risk mitigation, and stormwater management. To identify seasonality in extreme rainfall and quantify its impact in a theoretically consistent yet practically appealing manner, we investigate a data set of 27 daily rainfall records spanning at least 150 years. We aim to objectively identify periods within the year with distinct seasonal properties of extreme rainfall by employing the Akaike information criterion. Optimal partitioning of seasons is identified by minimizing the within‐season variability of extremes. The statistics of annual and seasonal extremes are evaluated by fitting a generalized extreme value distribution to the annual and seasonal block maxima series. The results indicate that seasonal properties of rainfall extremes mainly affect the average values of seasonal maxima and their variability, while the shape of their probability distribution and its tail do not substantially vary from season to season. Uncertainty in the estimation of the generalized extreme value parameters is quantified by employing three different estimation methods (maximum likelihood, method of moments, and least squares), and the opportunity for joint parameter estimation of seasonal and annual probability distributions of extremes is discussed. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme for seasonal characterization and modeling is highlighted when contrasted to results obtained from the conventional approach of using fixed climatological seasons.
Water Sector Assumptions for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways in an Integrated Modeling Framework
Authors: Graham Neal T. , Davies Evan G. R. , Hejazi Mohamad I. , Calvin Katherine , Kim Son H. , Helinski Lauren , Miralles‐Wilhelm Fernando R. , Clarke Leon , Kyle Page , Patel Pralit , Wise Marshall A. , Vernon Chris R.
Published: August 2018

The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) were developed without explicit assumptions for the future of the water sector; therefore, projections of future water demands based on the SSPs often lack a treatment of water technology assumptions that is consistent with the SSP storylines. This study has developed a set of qualitative and quantitative assumptions for future water sector technological advancements in the agricultural, electricity, manufacturing, and municipal sectors within the SSPs and then applied the resulting scenarios to an integrated assessment model to permit analysis of future water demand in a water‐constrained world. These scenarios are then compared to another set that excludes the adoption of water‐efficient technologies. Water demand impacts of individual SSP assumption categories are analyzed to determine scenario‐by‐scenario changes. By 2100, global annual water demands range from 3,560 to 6,600 km3. The results show that (1) technological change in the water sector can act to reduce water demand in a water limited world by up to 32% in 2100 in the SSP scenarios, (2) the most sustainable scenario produces end‐of‐century water withdrawals lower than 2010 values, (3) low‐income regions will likely be one of the largest drivers of future water demands and exhibit the greatest sensitivity to highly‐efficient water technologies, and (4) nonwater sector SSP assumptions have significant and differing impacts on demands across SSP scenarios that act to alter global water demands.
Wearable energy harvesters generating electricity from low-frequency human limb movement
Authors: Li Keli , He Qisheng , Wang Jiachou , Zhou Zhiguo , Li Xinxin
Published: August 2018

A wearable energy harvester technology is developed for generating electricity from the movement of human joints. A micro-electroplated ferromagnetic nickel cantilever is integrated with a piezoelectric element and bonded on a flexible substrate. Based on the magnetic interaction between the magnetized cantilever and a magnet on the substrate, a novel vertical-vibration frequency-up-conversion (FUC) structure is formed to generate stable amounts of electric energy per cycle from the horizontal substrate stretching/rebounding. The two ends of the flexible substrate are attached on both sides of a limb joint to transform joint rotation into substrate stretching. During limb movement, the flexible substrate is horizontally stretched and rebounded, causing the cantilever to vertically release from and return to the magnet, thereby exciting the piezoelectric cantilever into resonant generation. Since the horizontal low-frequency limb movement is perpendicular to the vertical high-frequency resonance, the stretch has little influence on the resonance of the cantilever. Thus the generated energy is always stable within a wide frequency range of limb movements. The performance of the novel harvester is experimentally verified using a stretching/rebounding movement cycle, where the cycle corresponds to the frequency range of 0.5–5.0 Hz. Within one stretching/rebounding movement cycle, the generated electric energy is stable in the approximate range of 0.56–0.69 μJ for the whole frequency range. Two flexible harvesters are worn on the human elbow and knee for a body kinetic energy harvesting test. Considerable power can always be generated under typical low-frequency limb movements, such as squatting, walking, jogging, and fast running, where the peak-to-peak generated voltages are always approximately 4.0 V. Additionally, energy harvesting under two-directional area stretching is also realized by adjusting the FUC structure layout. The flexible-substrate harvester is promising for various wearable applications.
Size control in mammalian cells involves modulation of both growth rate and cell cycle duration
Authors: Cadart Clotilde , Monnier Sylvain , Grilli Jacopo , Sáez Pablo J. , Srivastava Nishit , Attia Rafaele , Terriac Emmanuel , Baum Buzz , Cosentino-Lagomarsino Marco , Piel Matthieu
Published: August 2018

Despite decades of research, how mammalian cell size is controlled remains unclear because of the difficulty of directly measuring growth at the single-cell level. Here we report direct measurements of single-cell volumes over entire cell cycles on various mammalian cell lines and primary human cells. We find that, in a majority of cell types, the volume added across the cell cycle shows little or no correlation to cell birth size, a homeostatic behavior called “adder”. This behavior involves modulation of G1 or S-G2 duration and modulation of growth rate. The precise combination of these mechanisms depends on the cell type and the growth condition. We have developed a mathematical framework to compare size homeostasis in datasets ranging from bacteria to mammalian cells. This reveals that a near-adder behavior is the most common type of size control and highlights the importance of growth rate modulation to size control in mammalian cells.
Symmetry breakdown of 4,4″-diamino-p-terphenyl on a Cu(111) surface by lattice mismatch
Authors: Zhong Qigang , Ebeling Daniel , Tschakert Jalmar , Gao Yixuan , Bao Deliang , Du Shixuan , Li Chen , Chi Lifeng , Schirmeisen André
Published: August 2018

Site-selective functionalization of only one of two identical chemical groups within one molecule is highly challenging, which hinders the production of complex organic macromolecules. Here we demonstrate that adsorption of 4,4″-diamino-p-terphenyl on a metal surface leads to a dissymmetric binding affinity. With low temperature atomic force microscopy, using CO-tip functionalization, we reveal the asymmetric adsorption geometries of 4,4″-diamino-p-terphenyl on Cu(111), while on Au(111) the symmetry is retained. This symmetry breaking on Cu(111) is caused by a lattice mismatch and interactions with the subsurface atomic layer. The dissymmetry results in a change of the binding affinity of one of the amine groups, leading to a non-stationary behavior under the influence of the scanning tip. Finally, we exploit this dissymmetric binding affinity for on-surface self-assembly with 4,4″-diamino-p-terphenyl for side-preferential attachment of 2-triphenylenecarbaldehyde. Our findings provide a new route towards surface-induced dissymmetric activation of a symmetric compound.
Biased genome editing using the local accumulation of DSB repair molecules system
Authors: Nakade Shota , Mochida Keiji , Kunii Atsushi , Nakamae Kazuki , Aida Tomomi , Tanaka Kohichi , Sakamoto Naoaki , Sakuma Tetsushi , Yamamoto Takashi
Published: August 2018

Selective genome editing such as gene knock-in has recently been achieved by administration of chemical enhancer or inhibitor of particular DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways, as well as overexpression of pathway-specific genes. In this study, we attempt to enhance the efficiency further to secure robust gene knock-ins, by using the local accumulation of DSB repair molecules (LoAD) system. We identify CtIP as a strong enhancer of microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ) repair by genetic screening, and show the knock-in-enhancing effect of CtIP LoADing. Next-generation sequencing reveals that CtIP LoADing highly increases the frequency of MMEJ-mediated integration. Selection-free, simultaneous triple gene knock-ins are also achieved with the CtIP-LoADing strategy. Moreover, by replacing the LoADing molecules and targeting strategies, this system can be applied for other specific genome engineering purposes, such as introducing longer deletions for gene disruption, independently introducing multiple mutations without chromosomal deletion, and efficiently incorporating a single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide donor.
Reporter PET Images Bortezomib Treatment-Mediated Suppression of Cancer Cell Proteasome Activity
Authors: Lee Jin Hee , Jung Kyung-Ho , Quach Cung Hoa Thien , Park Jin Won , Moon Seung Hwan , Cho Young Seok , Lee Kyung-Han
Published: August 2018

Proteasomal protein degradation is a promising target for cancer therapy. Here, we developed a positron emission tomography (PET) technique based on the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) gene fused with the carboxyl-terminal of ornithine decarboxylase (cODC) that noninvasively images cancer cells with inhibited proteasome activity. A retroviral vector was constructed in which the murine cODC degron was fused to the human NIS gene (NIS-cODC). Transiently transduced CT26 and HT29 colon cancer cells and stably expressing CT26/NIS-cODC cells were prepared. In cancer cells transiently transduced with NIS-cODC, NIS expression and transport activity was low at baseline, but NIS protein and 125I uptake was significantly increased by inhibition of proteasome activity with bortezomib. Stable CT26/NIS-cODC cells also showed increased cytosolic and membrane NIS by bortezomib, and four different stable clones displayed bortezomib dose-dependent stimulation of 125I and 99mTc-04− uptake. Importantly, bortezomib dose-dependently suppressed survival of CT26/NIS-cODC clones in a manner that closely correlated to the magnitudes of 125I and 99mTc-04− uptake. CT26/NIS-cODC tumors of bortezomib-treated mice demonstrated greater 124I uptake on PET images and increased NIS expression on tissue staining compared to vehicle-injected animals. NIS-cODC PET imaging may allow noninvasive quantitative monitoring of proteasome activity in cancer cells treated with bortezomib.
3D microfluidic in vitro model and bioinformatics integration to study the effects of Spatholobi Caulis tannin in cervical cancer
Authors: Wang Nijia , Wang Jiayi , Meng Xiansheng , Bao Yongrui , Wang Shuai , Li Tianjiao
Published: August 2018

Cervical cancer is considered the fourth most common malignant disease in women. Recently, tannin from Spatholobi Caulis (TTS) has been shown to have potent anticancer and antiproliferative characteristics in a few preliminary studies. This experiment used 3D microfluidic, flow cytometry, and gene chip technology to study the efficacy and mechanism of action of TTS, as well as molecular docking technology to study the effect of drugs on related proteins. The cell survival rates of the five groups measured by the 3D microfluidic chip were 94%, 85%, 64%, 55%, and 42%, respectively. With the increase in drug concentration, the cell survival rate gradually decreased. Apoptosis rates detected in the five groups were 2.12%, 15.87%, 33.40%, 41.13%, and 55.10%, respectively. These data suggest that TTS can promote cell apoptosis. The percentages of cells in the G0/G1 phase were 43.39%, 55.07%, 59.57%, 64.56%, and 67.39% in the five groups, respectively. TTS was demonstrated to inhibit the conversion of cells from G0/G1 to S phase and G2/M phase and inhibit gene and protein synthesis to block cell proliferation. TTS can effectively modulate pathogenic proteins. The results confirmed the efficacy of TTS against HeLa cells and that TTS can be used as an adjunct in cervical cancer prevention and treatment.
The placebo effect in the motor domain is differently modulated by the external and internal focus of attention
Authors: Rossettini Giacomo , Emadi Andani Mehran , Dalla Negra Francesco , Testa Marco , Tinazzi Michele , Fiorio Mirta
Published: August 2018

Among the cognitive strategies that can facilitate motor performance in sport and physical practice, a prominent role is played by the direction of the focus of attention and the placebo effect. Consistent evidence converges in indicating that these two cognitive functions can influence the motor outcome, although no study up-to-now tried to study them together in the motor domain. In this explorative study, we combine for the first time these approaches, by applying a placebo procedure to increase force and by manipulating the focus of attention with explicit verbal instructions. Sixty healthy volunteers were asked to perform abduction movements with the index finger as strongly as possible against a piston and attention could be directed either toward the movements of the finger (internal focus, IF) or toward the movements of the piston (external focus, EF). Participants were randomized in 4 groups: two groups underwent a placebo procedure (Placebo-IF and Placebo-EF), in which an inert treatment was applied on the finger with verbal information on its positive effects on force; two groups underwent a control procedure (Control-IF and Control-EF), in which the same treatment was applied with overt information about its inefficacy. The placebo groups were conditioned about the effects of the treatment with a surreptitious amplification of a visual feedback signalling the level of force. During the whole procedure, we recorded actual force, subjective variables and electromyography from the hand muscles. The Placebo-IF group had higher force levels after the procedure than before, whereas the Placebo-EF group had a decrease of force. Electromyography showed that the Placebo-IF group increased the muscle units recruitment without changing the firing rate. These findings show for the first time that the placebo effect in motor performance can be influenced by the subject’s attentional focus, being enhanced with the internal focus of attention.
The human metabolic profile reflects macro- and micronutrient intake distinctly according to fasting time
Authors: Sedlmeier A. , Kluttig A. , Giegling I. , Prehn C. , Adamski J. , Kastenmüller G. , Lacruz M. E.
Published: August 2018

Although the impact of dietary patterns on human serum metabolites has been examined, the fasting effect on the metabolic profile has not yet been considered. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the influence of fasting regarding the association between dietary patterns, reflected by macro- and micronutrient intake, and human serum metabolites in a population-based cohort. A total 1197 non-diabetic German adults aged 45 to 83 years, who participated in baseline of the CARLA study 2002–2006 and had metabolite quantification were selected for this study. Macro- and micronutrient intakes were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Concentrations of 134 serum metabolites were measured by targeted metabolomics AbsoluteIDQ p150 Kit. The association of dietary patterns with serum metabolites was calculated by means of linear regression and the influence of the fasting status was considered by including interaction terms with each macro- and micronutrient. Higher self-reported intake of alcohol and lower self-reported intake of organic acids were associated with higher concentrations of acylcarnitines and phosphatidylcholines. Mainly the associations between dietary patterns and acylcarnitines and hexose were altered after including interaction terms, suggesting effect modification by fasting status. No effect from fasting time was seen for amino acids and saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines.
Monomeric and Polymeric Photoinitiators
Authors: Avci Duygu , Eren Tugce Nur
Published: August 2018

This chapter discusses the recent advances with monomeric and polymeric/hyperbranched photoinitiators for UV/visible curing applications, in particular their structures and structure–reactivity relationships in some of these photoinitiators. The basic motivation for these materials is to minimize undesired migration of small molecules in the photocured matrix. The effect of monomeric and polymeric/hyperbranched structures on the photoinitiating activity is discussed in connection with the different polymerizable groups (monomeric) or backbones (polymeric) and the incorporation of hydrogen-donating groups together with the chromophoric groups. Both the photoinitiating activities and migration stabilities of the photoinitiators are compared with low-molecular-weight non-monomeric analogues.
Controlled Reversible Deactivation Radical Photopolymerization
Authors: Junkers Tanja , Laun Joachim
Published: August 2018

Photoinduced reversible deactivation radical polymerization (photoRDRP) has in recent years become a popular method for the synthesis of precision polymer materials. PhotoRDRP often gives access to robust and energy-efficient polymerization methods, and allows for spatiotemporal control over reactions. For every major thermal RDRP technique, photoinduced counterparts are available, with photo-nitroxide mediated polymerization, photo-reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and photo-atom transfer radical polymerization. In this chapter, these techniques are summarized and compared, followed by an overview of 2D surface patterning based on photoRDRP and the application of continuous flow techniques for scalable photopolymerization.
A covalent organic framework bearing thioether pendant arms for selective detection and recovery of Au from ultra-low concentration aqueous solution
Authors: Zhou Zhiming , Zhong Wanfu , Cui Kaixun , Zhuang Zanyong , Li Lingyun , Li Liuyi , Bi Jinhong , Yu Yan
Published: August 2018

An ultra-low concentration of Au in aqueous solution is selectively detected and recovered by using a covalent organic framework bearing thioether pendant arms.
Nitroaromatic-detecting cadmium cyclohexyldicarboxylate coordination polymers with bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine coligands and unprecedented 2D and 3D topologies
Authors: LaDuca Andrew R. , LaDuca Robert L.
Published: August 2018

Hydrothermal reaction of cadmium nitrate, bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine (4-bpmp), and a variety of cyclohexyldicarboxylate ligands generated three new coordination polymer solids that were structurally characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Low-temperature activation of methane on doped single atoms: descriptor and prediction
Authors: Fung Victor , Tao Franklin (Feng) , Jiang De-en
Published: August 2018

We predict that Pt and several other single atoms on rutile TiO2(110) can chemisorb and activate methane at low temperatures.
Theoretical insight into the adsorption of aromatic compounds on graphene oxide
Authors: Tang Huan , Zhao Ying , Shan Sujie , Yang Xiaonan , Liu Dongmei , Cui Fuyi , Xing Baoshan
Published: August 2018

Two patterns for the multilayer adsorption.
Metaldehyde removal from drinking water by adsorption onto filtration media: mechanisms and optimisation
Authors: Rolph C. A. , Jefferson B. , Hassard F. , Villa R.
Published: August 2018

Trace micropollutants should be removed during drinking water production without increasing the disinfection-by-product formation potential or energy demand of the treatment process.
DFT study on the Au(i)-catalyzed cyclization of indole-allenoate: counterion and solvent effects
Authors: Yuan Binfang , He Rongxing , Guo Xiaogang , Shen Wei , Zhang Fengying , Xu Yanyan , Li Ming
Published: August 2018

The base strength was revealed to be the primary factor controlling the catalytic capability of counterions. The image shows the Au(i)-catalyzed cyclization reaction of indole-allenoate to form dihydrocyclopenta[b]indole derivatives, as reported by Ma.
In situ dose dependent gamma ray irradiated synthesis of PMMA–Ag nanocomposite films for multifunctional applications
Authors: Bhavitha K. B. , Nair Anju K. , Mariya Hanna , Jose Jiya , Mayeen Anshida , M. S. Kala , Saha Abhijit , Thomas Sabu , Oluwafemi Oluwatobi S. , Kalarikkal Nandakumar
Published: August 2018

Herein we report a simple, one pot and rapid gamma-ray irradiation method for the fabrication of PMMA–Ag nanocomposite films for multifunctional applications.
Recent advances in the field of transition metal dichalcogenides for biomedical applications
Authors: Agarwal Vipul , Chatterjee Kaushik
Published: August 2018

Nanosheets of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDs), the graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) materials, exhibit a unique combination of properties and have attracted enormous research interest for a wide range of applications including catalysis, functional electronics, solid lubrication, photovoltaics, energy materials and most recently in biomedical applications.
High-performance asymmetric supercapacitors based on monodisperse MnO nanocrystals with high energy densities
Authors: Li Menggang , Lei Wenjuan , Yu Yongsheng , Yang Weiwei , Li Ji , Chen Dafa , Xu Shichong , Feng Ming , Li Haibo
Published: August 2018

An asymmetric supercapacitor based on monodisperse MnO nanocrystals exhibited excellent cycling performance and high energy densities.
Correction: Synthesis of highly substituted 2-spiropiperidines
Authors: Griggs Samuel D. , Thompson Nathan , Tape Daniel T. , Fabre Marie , Clarke Paul A.
Published: August 2018

Correction for ‘Synthesis of highly substituted 2-spiropiperidines’ by Samuel D. Griggs et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c8ob01272e.
Protective role of fenofibrate in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury in BALB/c mice
Authors: Pei Zuowei , Deng Shuling , Xie Dengmei , Lv Mingyi , Guo Wenyan , Liu Duping , Zheng Zhenzhen , Long Xiaofeng
Published: August 2018

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe complication of sepsis, which largely contributes to the associated high mortality rate.
Prediction of 1H NMR chemical shifts for ionic liquids: strategy and application of a relative reference standard
Authors: Wang Juanfang , Liu Ying , Li Wen , Gao Guanjun
Published: August 2018

Using an RRS method to calculate the 1H NMR chemical shifts of ionic liquid agreed well with the experimental value.
A H2O2/HBr system – several directions but one choice: oxidation–bromination of secondary alcohols into mono- or dibromo ketones
Authors: Nikishin Gennady I. , Kapustina Nadezhda I. , Sokova Liubov L. , Bityukov Oleg V. , Terent'ev Alexander O.
Published: August 2018

Convenience of application, multifaceted reactivity, and compliance with green chemistry principles: H2O2–HBr(aq) system for preparation of bromo ketones with yields up to 91%.
A facile soft template method to synthesize hollow carbon and MnOx composite particles for effective methylene blue degradation
Authors: Meng Qingnan , Du Lulu , Ji Yeye , Tang Yufei , Han Zhenhua , Zhao Kang , Zhang Guojun
Published: August 2018

Hollow carbon and MnOx composite particles were synthesized for catalytic use and their formation mechanism was proposed.
Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of novel far-red-emitting BaLaMgNbO6:Mn4+ phosphors for plant growth LEDs
Authors: Sun Qi , Wang Shaoying , Devakumar Balaji , Li Bin , Sun Liangling , Liang Jia , Huang Xiaoyong
Published: August 2018

Mn4+-activated BaLaMgNbO6 far-red emitting double-perovskite phosphors with internal quantum efficiency up to 52% were developed for potential application in plant growth LEDs.
Pt/CePO4catalysts for the WGS reaction: influence of the water-supplier role of the support on the catalytic performance
Authors: Navarro-Jaén Sara , Centeno Miguel Ángel , Laguna Oscar Hernando , Odriozola José Antonio
Published: August 2018

CePO4supports enhance the WGS catalytic performance of Pt catalysts through the supplying of water, which depends on the crystallographic structure of the support.
Terahertz radiation and second-harmonic generation from a single-component polar organic ferroelectric crystal
Authors: Venkataramudu Uppari , Sahoo Chakradhar , Leelashree Solaiappan , Venkatesh Mottamchetty , Ganesh Damarla , Naraharisetty Sri Ram Gopal , Chaudhary Anil Kumar , Srinath Sanyadanam , Chandrasekar Rajadurai
Published: August 2018

A single-component polar organic ferroelectric crystal produces THz and second-harmonic radiation.
A tetrachlorinated molecular non-fullerene acceptor for high performance near-IR absorbing organic solar cells
Authors: Laventure Audrey , Welch Gregory C.
Published: August 2018

Installation of chlorine atoms into the ITIC non-fullerene acceptor enables low energy photon harvesting generating high photocurrent in OSCs when paired with PBDB-T. The active layer morphology is greatly influenced by solvent additives.
TIGBT with emitter‐embedded gate for low turn‐on loss and low electro‐magnetic interference noise
Authors: Li Ping , Cheng Junji , Chen Xing bi
Published: August 2018

A trench insulated gate bipolar transistor (TIGBT) with emitter‐embedded gate is proposed. The emitter‐embedded gate could increase the gate‐to‐emitter capacitance CGE without affecting the miller capacitance CGC. Therefore, the ratio of CGC to CGE is significantly reduced, which suppresses the gate self‐charging effect effectively. As a result, an excellent controllability on the turn‐on dICE/dt of the TIGBT and the dVKA/dt of the free‐wheeling diode (FWD) is obtained. The simulation results based on a 1.2 kV TIGBT show that, in comparison with the conventional TIGBT, the lower limit of the reverse‐recovery dVKA/dt of the FWD can be reduced by 91.2% and the turn‐on loss could be reduced by 53.1% under the same dVKA/dt.
Moore‐Penrose‐pseudo‐inverse‐based Kalman‐like filtering methods for estimation of stiff continuous‐discrete stochastic systems with ill‐conditioned measurements
Authors: Kulikov Gennady Yu. , Kulikova Maria V.
Published: August 2018

This study aims at exploring numerical stability properties of software sensors used in chemical and other engineering. These are utilised for evaluation of variables and/or parameters of plants, which are not measurable by technical devices. Software sensors are often grounded in the extended Kalman filtering (EKF) technique. A conventional continuous‐discrete stochastic system consists of an It ‐type stochastic differential equation representing the plant's dynamics and a discrete‐time equation linking the model's state to measurements. Here, the authors focus on the numerical stability of EKF‐type methods, which are applicable to ill‐conditioned stiff stochastic models arisen in applied science and engineering. They explore filters' accuracies when the inverse matrices are replaced with the Moore‐Penrose pseudo‐inverse ones in their measurement updates. This investigation is fulfilled within the authors' ill‐conditioned stochastic Oregonator scenario and evidences that the pseudo‐inversion indeed resolves many performance problems in some non‐square‐root methods when the stochastic system is sufficiently ill‐conditioned. However, it fails to improve the accuracy in the mildly ill‐conditioned case. Eventually, only the square‐root nested implicit Runge‐Kutta‐based filters are found out to be accurate and robust in their examination and, hence, to be the methods of choice.
Review on control techniques and methodologies for maximum power extraction from wind energy systems
Authors: Hemanth Kumar Mekalathur B. , Saravanan Balasubramanian , Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban , Blaabjerg Frede
Published: August 2018

This review study focuses on various methods and technologies used in past and present for obtaining maximum output power from a wind energy conversion system. There are plenty of solution for maximum power point (MPP), but the problem lies in the effective choice made among them and it needs the expert knowledge on every technique for picking up the best MPP method as every method on its own has some advantages and disadvantages. A comparison has been made among various MPP methods in terms of convergence time, efficiency, training, complexity and wind measurement. Here, different MPP tracking (MPPT) algorithms are classified based on wind speed measurement (WSR) and without WSR models. In this study, from the literature, a novel maximum electrical power tracking (MEPT) and maximum mechanical power tracking (MMPT) methods are compared with state‐of‐the‐art MPPT algorithms. On basis of the results obtained from the literature available, the MEPT algorithm has fast convergence rate of 15 ms; on the other hand, optimal relation‐based method is having large convergence rate of 364 ms and less efficient. A case study has been considered for performance validation, and MEPT and MMPT are having a good response for dynamic variation in wind speed.
Construction of an indirect solar dryer with a photovoltaic system and optimised speed control
Authors: Zaredar Arash , Effatnejad Reza , Behnam Behzad
Published: August 2018

With a radiant energy of 4.5 kWh/m2 (International Power Plant in Iran), Iran has a good potential for using solar thermal energy to dehumidify products in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industry. In fact, drying provides the possibility of restoring surplus products due to its longer shelf life, for future use. Indirect drying results are better results (nutrition and taste) than direct drying. Indirect solar dryer today works in many countries in industrial and lower levels of humidity and is quite satisfactory. It should be noted that the electronic and control system is embedded in data creation and air flow when necessary. The solar dryer is a device that performs the drying of different products with the use of renewable energies, in other words, performs dehumidifying operations without even using 1 W of electricity from the city.
Improving wind power utilisation under stormy weather condition by risk‐limiting unit commitment
Authors: Cai Ximing , Qin Zhijun , Hou Yunhe
Published: August 2018

Power grid resilience has been a major concern as extreme weather events become more frequent recently. Particularly, wind power generation has constituted a significant body of generation portfolio worldwide. Under stormy weather conditions, wind power generation would be curtailed due to the over‐speed protection of wind turbines. Subsequently, the sharply reduced generation resources would significantly endanger the reliability of power supply. In this study, the authors propose to apply the risk‐limiting methodology to improve the efficient utilisation of wind power prior to reluctant wind curtailment on the advent of wind stormy events. The proposed method integrates three programs, namely, day‐ahead unit commitment (UC), hourly‐ahead UC, and real‐time load shedding into one single model along with risk‐limiting constraints. The first program provides the baseline of hourly dispatch; whereas, the latter two programs serve as recourse means while wind stormy event unfolds. The proposed model is cast into a multi‐stage mixed‐integer linear programming model and solved by commercial solvers. Illustrative examples demonstrate that the proposed method can reduce the total dispatch cost over the time‐horizon including the wind stormy event, by postponing the timing of proactively starting quick‐start generating units and shedding loads, in contrast to conventional two‐stage stochastic dispatch methods.
Fast genre classification of web images using global and local features
Authors: Liu Guo‐Shuai , Wang Rui‐Qi , Yin Fei , Ogier Jean‐Marc , Liu Cheng‐Lin
Published: August 2018

To effectively mine the contents embedded in web images, it is useful to classify the images into different types so that they can be fed to different procedures for detailed analysis. The authors herein propose a hierarchical algorithm for efficiently classifying web images into four classes. Their algorithm consists of two stages: the first stage extracts global features reflecting the distributions of color, edge and gradient, and uses a support vector machine (SVM) classifier for preliminary classification. Images assigned low confidence by the first stage classifier are processed by the second stage, which further extracts local texture features represented in the bag‐of‐words framework and uses another SVM classifier for final classification. In addition, they design two fusion strategies to train the second‐stage classifier and generate the final prediction depending on the usage of local features in the second stage. To validate the effectiveness of proposed method, they built a database containing more than 55,000 images from various sources. On their test image set, they obtained an overall classification accuracy of 98.4% and the processing speed is over 27 fps on an Intel(R) Xeon(R) central processing unit (2.90 GHz).