bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some New Pyrazolyl Pyrazolones and Cyanopyrazolyl Acrylates: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Singh Sushma , Prakash Richa , Dua Neha , Sharma Chetan , Pundeer Rashmi
Published: June 2019

The present work is aimed to report several new synthetically and medicinally important pyrazole derivatives. Herein, a series of new 3‐amino‐4‐((3‐aryl‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl) methylene)‐1H‐pyrazol‐5(4H)‐ones (4) were synthesized by the reaction of ethyl 2‐cyano‐3‐(3‐aryl‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl) acrylates (3) and hydrazine hydrate in good yields. All the fourteen compounds (3 and 4) were evaluated for the in vitro antibacterial activity against, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis (Gram Positive), Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram negative) and the antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The tested compounds were found to be active against both the Gram positive strains.
Nitrogen Engineering on 3D Dandelion‐Flower‐Like CoS2 for High‐Performance Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Yao Na , Li Peng , Zhou Zirui , Meng Ran , Cheng Gongzhen , Luo Wei
Published: June 2019

Searching for highly efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is highly desirable for the practical application of water electrolysis under alkaline electrolyte. Although electrocatalysts based on transition metal sulfides (TMSs) are widely studied as efficient (pre)catalysts toward OER under alkaline media, their HER performances are far less than the state‐of‐the‐art Pt catalyst. Herein, the synthesis of nitrogen doped 3D dandelion‐flower‐like CoS2 architecture directly grown on Ni foam (N‐CoS2/NF) is reported that possesses outstanding HER activity and durability, with an overpotential of 28 mV to obtain the current density of 10 mA cm−2, exceeding almost all the documented TMS‐based electrocatalysts. Density functional theory calculations and experimental results reveal that the d‐band center of CoS2 could be efficiently tailored by N doping, resulting in optimized adsorption free energies of hydrogen (ΔG*H) and water , which can accelerate the HER process in alkaline electrolyte. Besides, the resulting N‐CoS2/NF also displays excellent performance for OER, making it a high‐performance bifunctional electrocatalyst toward overall water splitting, with a cell voltage of 1.50 V to achieve 10 mA cm−2.
Constructing Patch‐Ni‐Shelled Pt@Ni Nanoparticles within Confined Nanoreactors for Catalytic Oxidation of Insoluble Polysulfides in Li‐S Batteries
Authors: Liu Yang , Kou Wei , Li Xiangcun , Huang Chuqing , Shui Ruobing , He Gaohong
Published: June 2019

Reducing the deposit of discharge products and suppressing the polysulfide shuttle are critical to enhancing reaction kinetics in Li‐S batteries. Herein, a Pt@Ni core–shell bimetallic catalyst with a patch‐like or complete Ni shell based on a confined catalysis reaction in porous carbon spheres is reported. The Pt nanodots can effectively direct and catalyze in situ reduction of Ni2+ ions to form core–shell catalysts with a seamless interface that facilitates the charge transfer between the two metals. Thus, the bimetallic catalysts offer a synergic effect on catalyzing reactions, which shows dual functions for catalytic oxidation of insoluble polysulfides to soluble polysulfides by effectively reducing the energy barrier with simultaneous strong adsorption, ensuring a high reversible capacity and cycling stability. A novel process based on the Pt@Ni core–shell bimetallic catalyst with a patch‐like Ni shell is proposed: electronic migration from Ni to Pt forces Ni to activate Li2S2/Li2S molecules by promoting the transformation of Li‐S‐Li to Ni‐S‐Li, consequently releasing Li+ and free electrons, simultaneously enhancing protonic/electronic conductivity. The presence of the intermediate state Ni‐S‐Li is more active to oxidize Li2S to polysulfides. The Li2S bound to adjacent Pt sites reacts with abundant ‐S‐Li species and then releases the Pt sites for the next round of reactions.
An osmotic computing infrastructure for urban pollution monitoring
Authors: Longo Antonella , Zappatore Marco , De Matteis Andrea
Published: June 2019

Urban pollution control systems suffer from the presence of fixed stations in a greater number than mobile monitoring devices. Data gathered from such stations provide detailed and reliable information, thanks to equipment quality and effective measuring protocols, but these sampled data are gathered from very limited areas and through discontinuous monitoring campaigns. Fortunately, the spread of technologies for mobility has fostered the development of new approaches like mobile crowdsensing (MCS), increasing the chances of using mobile devices, even personal ones, as suitable sensors for the urban monitoring scenario. Nevertheless, one of the open challenges is the management of integrated heterogeneous data flows, differing in terms of typology, technical specifications (eg, transmission protocols), and semantics. The osmotic computing paradigm aims at creating an abstract level between mobile devices/Internet‐of‐Things devices and a cloud platform, which enables opportunistic filtering and the addition of metadata for improving the data processing flow. This work focuses on the design and development of a middleware that integrates data coming from mobile and Internet‐of‐Things devices specifically deployed in urban contexts using the osmotic computing paradigm. Moreover, a component of the osmotic membrane has been developed for security management.
Effect of Jet Inclination and Coolant Flow Rate on Thermal and Rewetting Behavior during Bottom Jet Impingement on Hot Horizontal Surfaces
Authors: Sharma Avadhesh Kumar , Lodhi Umesh Kumar , Kumar Gautam , Sahu Santosh Kumar
Published: June 2019

The thermal and rewetting behavior of downward‐facing hot surfaces with single upward oblique liquid jet impingement is studied through experimental investigation. The Reynolds number varies in the range of 2500–10 000 and the jet inclination angle varies from 90° to 15°, measured from the horizontal. The current study uses a stainless‐steel foil (SS‐304) with 0.15 mm thickness as the test specimen, and a thermal imaging technique is used to measure temperature data during jet impingement cooling. The initial surface temperature of the test foil is maintained at 500 ± 10 °C and the standoff distance is kept at 6 mm. The Nusselt number is found to increase in the downhill direction and decrease sharply in the uphill direction with the decrease in the inclination angle. The wet‐front velocity is found to increase in the downhill direction with the decrease in the inclination angle. Correlations are proposed for Nusselt number and rewetting temperature as a function of Reynolds number, jet inclination angle, and axial distance.
Effizienter Stahlbau für solarthermische Kraftwerke
Authors: Weinrebe Gerhard , Balz Markus
Published: June 2019

Solarthermische Kraftwerke mit ihren großen thermischen Speichern stellen elektrische Energie planbar und kostengünstig bereit. Die quadratkilometergroßen Kollektorfelder dieser Anlagen bestehen aus beweglichen Leichtbau‐Stahlstrukturen, die Spiegelflächen so dem Lauf der Sonne nachführen, dass das konzentrierte Sonnenlicht in Wärme umgewandelt und einem Dampfkraftprozess zugeführt werden kann. Die Anforderungen an die Kollektoren bezüglich Kosten, Steifigkeit und Präzision definieren gemeinsam eine spannende Herausforderung für Ingenieure. Im Bericht wird das Funktionsprinzip der Kraftwerke und ihrer Kollektoren kurz vorgestellt. Am Beispiel zweier moderner Kollektoren – Parabolrinnenkollektor und Heliostat – wird die jeweilige Bauweise und ihre Besonderheiten erläutert werden.
Photovoltaik‐Überdachung eines Parkdecks
Authors: Moor Dieter , Fink Michaela
Published: June 2019

Im November 2018 wurde der neu errichtete Bau‐ und Gartenmarkt Hellweg in Fürstenfeld, Österreich, für die Kundinnen und Kunden eröffnet. Dieser Eröffnung gingen Monate voller Planung und der tatsächlichen Errichtung voraus. Die Themen der Nachhaltigkeit und des sozialen Engagements sind für die Bauherren wichtige Unternehmenswerte, die bei der Errichtung des Baumarkts unbedingt Berücksichtigung finden mussten. Eine weitere Herausforderung, die sich aus dem Standort ergab, stellte die Reglementierung im Bundesland Steiermark dar, nach welcher bei der Mindestanzahl an Stellplätzen eine Doppelbenutzung vorliegen muss. Um die Unternehmenswerte in den Bau der KundInnenparkplätze einfließen zu lassen und zudem die Reglementierung der Steiermark zu berücksichtigen, wurde nach ausführlicher Planung eine halbtransparente Horizontalverglasung aus Verbundsicherheitsglas (VSG) mit Solarzellen realisiert. Um nachhaltig Strom erzeugen zu können, wäre eine aufgeständerte Photovoltaikkonstruktion auf einem konventionellen Leichtdach ebenfalls infrage gekommen, jedoch fiel die Entscheidung aufgrund unterschiedlicher Gründe auf die transluzente Photovoltaikvariante.
Cover Image, Volume 9, Issue 4
Authors: Chan H. C. Stephen , Pan Lu , Li Yi , Yuan Shuguang
Published: June 2019

The cover image is based on the Advanced Review Rationalization of stereoselectivity in enzyme reactions by Shuguang Yuan, Lu Pan, Yi Li, and H. C. Stephen Chan. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1403

image
Hybrid silica aerogel nanocomposite adsorbents designed for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solution
Authors: Shariatinia Zahra , Esmaeilzadeh Alireza
Published: June 2019

Hybrid silica aerogel (HSA) nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel method and drying at ambient pressure. Also, two magnetic nanocomposites of HSA with Fe3O4 nanoparticles and chitosan (CS) were prepared including HSA‐Fe3O4 and HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS. The morphology, structure, and magnetic properties of the HSA as well as its nanocomposites were analyzed by SEM, XRD, TGA, VSM, and ATR‐FTIR techniques. The saturation magnetization (Ms) values for the Fe3O4 NPs, HSA‐Fe3O4, and HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS nanocomposite film were 69.93, 19.04, and 5.77 emu/g, respectively. Furthermore, the abilities of the HSA, HSA‐Fe3O4, CS, and HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS adsorbents were assessed for removal of cadmium(II) heavy metal ions (100 ppm) from aqueous solution. All adsorbents removed/adsorbed the maximum Cd(II) ions in 120 min when adsorbent dosage = 20 mg and pH = 8. Moreover, the highest adsorption capacities were 58.5, 69.4, 65.8, and 71.9 mg/g for the HSA, CS, HSA‐Fe3O4, and HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS, respectively. Kinetic studies using all adsorbents verified that Cd(II) adsorption obeyed the second‐order model illustrating the analyte chemisorption was happened on the adsorbent surfaces. All adsorption data were well consistent with the Langmuir isotherms. The reusability experiment confirmed that all of adsorbents could preserve >95% of their initial adsorption capacities even after five series of adsorption/desorption tests.

Practitioner points

Hybrid silica aerogel (HSA), HSA‐Fe3O4, and HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS adsorbents were produced.

Nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, TGA, SEM, VSM, and ATR‐FTIR analysis.

Adsorption of cadmium(II) ions by adsorbents was examined in aqueous solution.

The highest adsorption capacity was obtained for the HSA‐Fe3O4‐CS (71.9 mg/g).

Cd(II) adsorption followed second‐order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model.
Fuzzy trees and forests—Review
Authors: Sosnowski Zenon A. , Gadomer Łukasz
Published: June 2019

Data classification and regression are commonly encountered data analysis problems. Many researchers created multiple tools to deal with these issues. Fuzzy clustering, fuzzy decision trees, and ensemble classifiers such as fuzzy forests are popular tools used for this kind of problems. We would like to describe some interesting, more or less popular, solutions which belong to mentioned areas to show the way they deal with data classification and regression problems. This paper is divided into four parts. In the first part we present the issue of fuzzy clustering, which is one of the most important aspects of fuzzy trees which base on clusters. Some methods of splitting objects into clusters using fuzzy logic are described there. The second part describes different fuzzy decision trees. The way these trees can deal with classification and regression problems is presented. In the third part the issue of forests—ensemble classifiers which consist of fuzzy trees—is described. The last part treats about the way of performing weighted decision making in fuzzy forests.

This article is categorized under:

Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Big Data Mining

Technologies > Classification

Technologies > Prediction

Technologies > Machine Learning
An additional X‐ray diffraction by analyzer crystal
Authors: Borkhodoev V.Ya.
Published: June 2019

In the X‐ray spectra of samples from the boric acid and rock, obtained using an X‐ray spectrometer with a wave dispersive, an unknown emission line with a wavelength shorter than the short‐wavelength border of the bremsstrahlung of the X‐ray tube was detected. The intensity and position of the line in the spectrum depend on the voltage on the X‐ray tube. It has been established that this line appears as a result of X‐ray diffraction from the atomic planes of the analyzer crystal, which are spaced from each other by two interplanar distances. Such diffraction was called additional X‐ray diffraction by analyzer crystal.
Elemental distribution by synchrotron X‐ray microfluorescence of prostate 3D cell culture
Authors: Rocha K.M.J. , Leitão R.G. , Oliveira‐Barros E.G. , Oliveira M.A. , Canellas C.G.L. , Anjos M.J. , Nasciutti L.E. , Lopes R.T.
Published: June 2019

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent disease and ranks second among malignant neoplasms that affect men around the world, behind lung cancer alone. Trace elements are very important and are involved in many cellular processes. The X‐ray microfluorescence technique is an advanced tool of high spatial resolution, sensitivity, multielemental analysis, and nondestructiveness for trace element study. This study aimed to investigate the elemental distribution in spheroids obtained through the following human prostate cell lines using synchrotron X‐ray microfluorescence: tumor cell line androgen independent (DU145), tumor cell line androgen dependent (LNCaP), and normal cell line (RWPE‐1). The measurements were performed with a standard geometry of 45° of incidence, excited by a white beam using a pixel of 25 μm and an acquisition time of 300 ms/pixel at the X‐ray fluorescence beamline at the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (Campinas, Brazil). The synchrotron X‐ray microfluorescence results showed differences between groups in all elements analyzed and suggested that further studies should be performed to understand the relationship of these trace elements with the progression and development of the disease.
Endoparasites observed within invertebrates used as live food items for captive wild birds: Overview and potential risks
Authors: da Cruz Cláudio Estêvão Farias , Marques Sandra Márcia Tietz , Andretta Inês
Published: June 2019

To monitor and evaluate potential risks to birds’ health, invertebrate species that have been used as live food items had their body contents searched for endoparasites. The contents of approximately 10,000 invertebrates were analyzed. A principal component analysis was performed to study the relationship between the presence/absence of endoparasites and the characteristics of the invertebrates. In most of them, including the species preferred by birds such as caterpillars, waxworms, mealworms, most grasshoppers, and spiders, no organism was identified. Such findings suggest a low potential for parasite transmission associated with its consumption by birds. Although they had unknown or even unlikely implications for the birds’ health, gregarines, oxyurides Leidynema sp., and digenetic trematodes Monolecithotrema sp. were found in samples from woodlice, cockroaches, and centipedes, respectively. The only avian parasites observed in this study were Heterakis gallinarum in samples from earthworms and Acuaria spiralis from woodlice. Suggestively, soil invertebrates showed a higher prevalence of endoparasites and may represent a higher potential risk in comparison to the other categories of invertebrates sampled herein. Detritivory and collected origin were also explanatory variables related to the presence of endoparasites in the current study.
Biodiversity, Disparity and Evolvability
Authors: Minelli Alessandro
Published: June 2019

A key problem in conservation biology is how to measure biological diversity. Taxic diversity (the number of species in a community or in a local biota) is not necessarily the most important aspect, if what most matters is to evaluate how the loss of the different species may impact on the future of the surviving species and communities. Alternative approaches focus on functional diversity (a measure of the distribution of the species among the different ‘jobs’ in the ecosystem), others on morphological disparity, still others on phylogenetic diversity. There are three major reasons to prioritize the survival of species which provide the largest contributions to the overall phylogenetic diversity. First, evolutionarily isolated lineages are frequently characterized by unique traits. Second, conserving phylogenetically diverse sets of taxa is valuable because it conserves some sort of trait diversity, itself important in so far as it helps maintain ecosystem functioning, although a strict relationships between phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity cannot be taken for granted. Third, in this way we maximize the “evolutionary potential” depending on the evolvability of the survivors. This suggests an approach to conservation problems focussed on evolvability, robustness and phenotypic plasticity of developmental systems in the face of natural selection: in other terms, an approach based on evolutionary developmental biology.
Between Explanans and Explanandum: Biodiversity and the Unity of Theoretical Ecology
Authors: Huneman Philippe
Published: June 2019

Biodiversity is arguably a major topic in ecology. Some of the key questions of the discipline are: why are species distributed the way they are, in a given area, or across areas? Or: why are there so many animals (as G. Evelyn Hutchinson asked in a famous paper)? It appears as what is supposed to be explained, namely anexplanandumof ecology. Various families of theories have been proposed, which are nowadays mostly distinguished according to the role they confer to competition and the competitive exclusion principle.Nichetheories, where the difference between “fundamental” and “realised” niches (Hutchinson GE, Am Nat 93:145–159, 1959) through competitive exclusion explains species distributions, contrast withneutraltheories, where an assumption of fitness equivalence, species abundance distributions are explained by stochastic models, inspired by (Hubbell SP, The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2001).

Yet, while an important part of community ecology and biogeography understands biodiversity as anexplanandum, in other areas of ecology the concept of biodiversity rather plays the role of theexplanans. This is manifest in the long lasting stability-diversity debate, where the key question has been: how does diversity beget stability? Thus explanatory reversibility of the biodiversity concept in ecology may prevent biodiversity from being a unifying object for ecology.

In this chapter, I will describe such reversible explanatory status of biodiversity in various ecological fields (biogeography, functional ecology, community ecology). After having considered diversity as anexplanandum, and then as anexplanans, I will show that the concepts of biodiversity that are used in each of these symmetrical explanatory projects are not identical nor even equivalent. Using an approach to the concept of biodiversity in terms of “conceptual space”, I will finally argue that the lack of unity of a biodiversity concept able to function identically asexplanansandexplanandumunderlies the structural disunity of ecology that has been pointed out by some historians and philosophers.
Ordinary Biodiversity. The Case of Food
Authors: Borghini Andrea
Published: June 2019

The green revolution, the biotech revolution, and other major changes in food production, distribution, and consumption have deeply subverted the relationship between humans and food. Such a drastic rupture is forcing a rethinking of that relationship and a careful consideration of which items we shall preserve and why. This essay aims at introducing a philosophical frame for assessing the biodiversity of that portion of the living realm that I call the edible environment. With such expression I intend not simply those plants and animals (including in this category, henceforth, also fish and insects) that were domesticated for human consumption, but also the thousands of species that are regularly consumed by some human population and that are regarded to some degree as wild. The visceral, existential, and identity-related relationship that link humans with the edible environment can be regarded as sui generis and can constitute a ground for explaining why it should receive a preferential treatment when it comes to preservation, propagation, and development. First of all, I discuss whether we should draw a sharp divide, when it comes to preservation efforts, between wild and domesticated species (§1); secondly, I assess whether to draw a sharp divide between natural and unnatural entities, when it comes to measurements and interventions regarding the edible environment (§2); finally, I ask what is the value of biodiversity as far as food is concerned, and how best to preserve and foster it (§3 and §4). The closing section draws some suggestions for future investigations and interventions.
Are Species Good Units for Biodiversity Studies and Conservation Efforts?
Authors: Reydon Thomas A. C.
Published: June 2019

While species have long been seen as the principal units of biodiversity, with prominent roles in biodiversity research and conservation practice, the long-standing debate on the nature of species deeply problematizes their suitability as such units. Not only do the metaphysical questions remain unresolved what kinds of things speciesare, and whether species are at all real, there also is considerable disagreement on how to define the notion of species for use in practice. Moreover, it seems that different organism groups are best classified using different definitions of ‘species’, such that species of organisms in very different domains of biodiversity are not generally comparable units. In this chapter I will defend and elaborate the claim that species are not good units of biodiversity, focusing in the issue of species realism. I will sketch a pragmatic notion of ‘species’ that can be used as an epistemic tool in the context of biodiversity studies, without however involving a view of species as basic units of biodiversity or as the focal, real entities in biodiversity conservation.
An Immigrant in America Yes, But Not an Emigrant in My Own Country! The Unbearable Weight of a Persistent Label
Authors: Cordeiro Graça Índias
Published: June 2019

In the USA, Portuguese-Americans are proud of being immigrants, seeing themselves as a part of the endless process of building the country. On the contrary, “emigrant” status does not fit well with their own perceptions of identity. Based on ongoing ethnographic fieldwork in Cambridge, Massachusetts, my aim is to discuss the ambivalent and tense relationship between being simultaneously a Portuguese immigrant in the USA and an American emigrant in one’s homeland. This discussion will contribute to studying the social construction of the “emigrant” category among the “Portuguese diaspora”. By treating Portuguese-American perceptions of the “emigrant” category as a reliable source, a paradoxical contrast between the use of an “immigrant” status as a choice versus an “emigrant” status as an imposition emerges. “Emigrant” is in fact a hetero-classification imposed by others, while “immigrant” comes across as a self-classification. While “being Portuguese” in the US seems to have an inclusive effect in the host society – helping to build a sense of belonging to what is experienced as “home” in a transnational context – “being an emigrant” in Portugal appears to exclude them in their homeland, retaining the strength of a historical prejudice associated with a stigmatised category.
New Migration Dynamics on the South-Western Periphery of Europe: Theoretical Reflections on the Portuguese Case
Authors: King Russell
Published: June 2019

I reflect on the overall contents of the book and highlight the key theoretical insights contributed therein. I draw on my own theoretical writings on the nature of migration trends in Southern Europe – the so-called ‘Southern European model’ of migration, with its various historical and geographical phases – and enrich this analysis through specific reference to the Portuguese case. Notions of cores and (semi-)peripheries are crucial to understanding both the political economy and evolving typologies of Portuguese migration trends over the long term and in recent years. Key here is the coexistence of Portugal’s status as the metropolitan core of a (post)colonial periphery and its (semi-)peripheral situation within Europe. This dual perspective helps to explain the complex geography and history of Portugal’s migration flows. Finally, I point to four areas which could have been given more emphasis: the within-Portugal regional patterning of emigration trends, the relative lack of attention given to return migration, the question of gender in ongoing Portuguese migration patterns and the overall impact of migration on Portuguese economic and social development.
Portuguese Emigration Today
Authors: Pires Rui Pena
Published: June 2019

Portuguese emigration increased ever since its interruption by the 1974 revolution, especially since Portugal became a member of the then European Economic Community. This increase was underpinned by the regime of free movement of people within the European Union, which has helped transform Europe into the lead destination of Portuguese emigration. The effects of the 2008 financial crisis on this migratory dynamic have proven complex. In the first instance, the fact that this crisis was global prompted a downturn in emigration. However, in a second phase, there was new and very marked growth in the rate of Portuguese emigration coupled with changes to the hierarchy of destinations. The greatest of these alterations was the abrupt decline in the numbers departing for Spain, which was overtaken by the United Kingdom as the main destination for emigration. From a comparative perspective, the joint effects of the growth in emigration and the stagnation of immigration mean that Portugal is today among the least attractive countries in EU. As a consequence, international migratory patterns in Portugal today – as in the 1960s – are exacerbating rather than countering the population decline in the country with the lowest fertility rate in Europe.
Working Class Condition and Migrant Experience: The Case of Portuguese Construction Workers
Authors: Queirós João
Published: June 2019

This chapter presents results of fieldwork-based research on the professional, geographical and social mobility strategies adopted in recent years by construction workers emigrating from Northwest Portugal. Considering the impacts of the economic crisis that has affected Portugal throughout this period – impacts which included a sharp rise in unemployment rates and the reconfiguration of the professional aspirations and career trajectories of thousands of workers, especially in industrial and post-industrial areas –, this text analyses some of the findings of multi-sited ethnographic research conducted in Portugal, Spain and France between 2008 and 2014. The chapter briefly discusses the recent change in the condition of Portuguese construction workers, underlines the constitution and reinforcement of migration as a central element of this group’s professional and social reproduction strategies, and scrutinises the most salient aspects of the everyday experience of these true contemporary “nomads”.
Light-front bootstrap for Chern-Simons matter theories
Authors: Skvortsov Evgeny
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We propose a new approach to solve conformal field theories and apply it to Chern-Simons Matter theories and three-dimensional bosonization duality. All three-point correlation functions of single-trace operators are obtained in the large-N as a simple application. The idea is to construct, as an effective weakly-coupled theory, a nonlinear realization of the conformal algebra in terms of physical, gauge-invariant, operators. The efficiency of the method is also in the use of an analog of the light-cone gauge and of the momentum-space on the CFT side. AdS/CFT is used as a convenient regulator and as a source of the canonical bracket. The uniqueness of the nonlinear realization manifests the three-dimensional bosonization duality at this order. We also find two more non-unitary solutions which should be analogous to the fishnet theories. The results can also be viewed as an explicit realization of the slightly-broken higher spin symmetry.

As a by-product, the cubic action of the Higher Spin Gravity in AdS
4 is constructed. While generic Higher Spin Gravities are obstructed at higher orders by nonlocality, we point out the existence of two especially simple and well-defined theories: chiral and anti-chiral whose three-point functions correspond to the two new solutions. These two theories are supposed to give a quantum complete and local example of gravitational bulk duals.
QCD and electroweak corrections to WZ scattering at the LHC
Authors: Denner Ansgar , Dittmaier Stefan , Maierhöfer Philipp , Pellen Mathieu , Schwan Christopher
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We present the first computation of the full next-to-leading-order QCD and electroweak corrections to the WZ scattering process at the LHC. All off-shell, gauge-boson-decay, and interference effects are taken into account for the process pp → μ
+
μ
−e+
ν
ej j + X at the orders

$$ \mathcal{O} $$

O

(α
s
α
6) and

$$ \mathcal{O} $$

O

(α
7). The electroweak corrections feature the typical Sudakov behaviour towards high energy and amount to −16% relative to the electroweak contribution to the integrated cross section. Moreover, the corrections induce significant shape distortions in differential distributions. The next-to-leading-order analysis of the quark- and gluon-induced channels is supplemented by a leading-order study of all possible contributions to the full 4ℓ + 2jets production cross section in a realistic fiducial phase-space volume.
Magnetic quivers, Higgs branches and 6d $$ \mathcal{N} = \left(1,\kern0.5em 0\right) $$ theories
Authors: Cabrera Santiago , Hanany Amihay , Sperling Marcus
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The physics of M5 branes placed near an M9 plane on an A-type ALE singularity exhibits a variety of phenomena that introduce additional massless degrees of freedom. There are tensionless strings whenever two M5 branes coincide or whenever an M5 brane approaches the M9 plane. These systems do not admit a low-energy Lagrangian description so new techniques are desirable to shed light on the physics of these phenomena. The 6-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N} = \left(1,\kern0.5em 0\right) $$

N

=

1
,

0

world-volume theory on the M5 branes is composed of massless vector, tensor, and hyper multiplets, and has two branches of the vacuum moduli space where either the scalar fields in the tensor or hyper multiplets receive vacuum expectation values. Focusing on the Higgs branch of the low-energy theory, previous works suggest the conjecture that a new Higgs branch arises whenever a BPS-string becomes tensionless. Consequently, a single theory admits a multitude of Higgs branches depending on the types of tensionless strings in the spectrum. The two main phenomena discrete gauging and small E
8
instanton transition can be treated in a concise and effective manner by means of Coulomb branches of 3-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N} = 4 $$

N

=
4

gauge theories. In this paper, a formalism is introduced that allows to derive a novel object from a brane configuration, called the magnetic quiver. The main features are as follows: (i) the 3d Coulomb branch of the magnetic quiver yields the Higgs branch of the 6d system, (ii) all discrete gauging and E
8 instanton transitions have an explicit brane realisation, and (iii) exceptional symmetries arise directly from brane configurations. The formalism facilitates the description of Higgs branches at finite and infinite gauge coupling as spaces of dressed monopole operators.
Complex Langevin analysis of the space-time structure in the Lorentzian type IIB matrix model
Authors: Nishimura Jun , Tsuchiya Asato
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The Lorentzian type IIB matrix model has been studied as a promising candidate for a nonperturbative formulation of superstring theory. In particular, the emergence of (3+1)D expanding space-time was observed by Monte Carlo studies of this model. It has been found recently, however, that the matrix configurations generated by the simulation is singular in that the submatrices representing the expanding 3D space have only two large eigenvalues associated with the Pauli matrices. This problem has been attributed to the approximation used to avoid the sign problem in simulating the model. Here we investigate the model using the complex Langevin method to overcome the sign problem instead of using the approximation. Our results indicate a clear departure from the Pauli-matrix structure, while the (3+1)D expanding behavior is kept intact.
Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Literature Addressing Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kirsch Jacob M. , Bakshi Neil K. , Ayeni Olufemi R. , Khan Moin , Bedi Asheesh
Published: June 2019

Background

Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) can negatively impact shoulder function particularly in the throwing athlete.

Questions/Purpose

This study aimed to systematically evaluate recent trends in clinical outcomes and quality of published evidence pertaining to GIRD.

Methods

A systematic review was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Embase were searched from January 1, 2011, through April 23, 2017, for all articles evaluating GIRD. Two reviewers independently screened articles for eligibility and extracted data for analysis.

Results

Eighty-two articles were included in the final review. In general, the overall number of articles published increased over time. Two-thirds of all studies were conducted in the USA. Seventy-eight percent ( N = 64) of included studies were level-III to level-V evidence, with no level-I study performed during the study period. Eighty-five percent of studies were either epidemiologic, review, or imaging articles, and only 12% were clinical studies. Significant variability in the clinical definition of GIRD was identified. All studies evaluating non-operative management of GIRD demonstrated significant improvements in internal rotation of the affected extremity.

Conclusion

Current trends in GIRD-related literature demonstrate limited focus on clinical, therapeutic, or patient-reported outcomes and mostly consist of low-level evidence. There is a lack of consensus in the literature on what clinically constitutes GIRD.
Would you be happier if you moved more? Physical activity focusing illusion
Authors: Kaczmarek Lukasz D. , Behnke Maciej , Enko Jolanta , Hoffman Agnieszka , Kiciński Marcin , Paruszewski Jakub , Szabat Michał , Dombrowski Stephan U.
Published: June 2019

Research shows that individuals who are more physically active also report greater happiness. However, subjective well-being is prone to cognitive biases. For instance, people overrate the influence of single factors (e.g., money) on their happiness; a phenomenon termed the focusing illusion. In this study, we examined whether the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being is stronger when individuals focus on physical activity explicitly compared to individuals with no specific focus. We experimentally manipulated the physical activity focus by varying the order of scales administration. Participants (N = 200) completed questionnaires that measured physical activity and subjective well-being placed in separate envelopes and provided in a random order. We found that individuals with higher levels of vigorous physical activity were more satisfied with life regardless of the order of scale presentation (no focusing effect). However, we found evidence of a possible focusing illusion for moderate-intensity physical activity. Individuals with higher levels of moderate-intensity physical activity reported higher subjective well-being when they were asked about physical activity first but not when they reported their well-being unaware of the upcoming physical activity questions. Thus, subjective well-being judgments can be biased by a prior focus on moderate-intensity physical activity. The order of scale administration when assessing subjective well-being should be carefully considered.
Preferences and attitudes of young Chinese clinicians about using a shared decision making tools for communicating cardiovascular risk
Authors: Huang Rong‐Chong , Song Xian‐Tao , Zhang Dong‐Feng , Xu Jia‐Ying , Boehmer Kasey R. , Leppin Aaron A. , Gionfriddo Michael R. , Ting Henry H. , Montori Victor M.
Published: June 2019

Objective

This study assesses the attitudes and preferences of Chinese clinicians toward their involvement in shared decision making (SDM).

Methods

From May 2014 to May 2015, 200 Chinese clinicians from two hospitals were enrolled to complete a survey on their attitude towards SDM. We conducted the survey via face‐to‐face interviews before and after an educational intervention on SDM among young Chinese clinicians. The clinicians were asked to give the extent of agreement to SDM. They also gave the extent of difficulty in using decision aids (DAs) during the SDM process. The variation in the range of responses to each question before and after the SDM intervention was recorded. The frequency of changed responses was analyzed by using JMP 6.0 software. Data were statistically analyzed using Chi‐square and Mann–Whitney U tests, as appropriate to the data type. Multiple logistic regressions were used to test for those factors significantly and independently associated with preference for an approach for each scenario.

Results

Of the 200 young Chinese clinicians sampled, 59.0% indicated a preference for SDM and a desire to participate in SDM before receiving education or seeing the DA, and this number increased to 69.0% after seeing the DA with the sample video of the SDM process on Statin Choice. However, 28.5% of the respondents still reported that, in their current practice, they make clinical decisions on behalf of their patients. The clinicians who denied a desire to use the DA stated that the main barriers to implement SDM or DA use in China are lack of time and knowledge of SDM.

Conclusions

Most young Chinese clinicians want to participate in SDM. However, they state the main barriers to perform SDM are lack of experience and time. The educational intervention about SDM that exposes clinicians to DAs was found to increase their receptivity.
Corporal punishment of children in the home in Australia: a review of the research reveals the need for data and knowledge
Authors: Poulsen Angelika
Published: June 2019

A growing body of literature indicates that corporal punishment (CP) has the potential to adversely affect the mental and physical wellbeing of children in childhood as well as into adulthood. Corporal punishment of children in the home is legal in all states and territories in Australia, but not much is known about this type of family violence in the Australian context. This article presents a review of the literature currently available on the prevalence of CP of children in the home in Australia, covering online surveys, academic research, government data and grey literature. The role of online surveys is examined, and the lack of data available from government studies concerned with the wellbeing of children is also explored. There is found to be an overall lack of consistent data available on CP of children in the home in Australia, and this article calls on researchers and policymakers to further research and act on this aspect of family violence.
The Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Survivors After a Typhoon or Hurricane: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Zhipeng , Wu Xin , Dai Wenjie , Kaminga Atipatsa C. , Wu Xiaoli , Pan Xiongfeng , Liu Ziyan , Wen Shiwu , Hu Shixiong , Liu Aizhong
Published: June 2019

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder, which could be caused by traumatic events. The prevalence of PTSD among survivors after a typhoon or hurricane varied widely. Therefore, this study aimed to determine a combined prevalence of PTSD among survivors after a typhoon or hurricane. A systematic search of literature was performed in the 3 English databases: PubMed (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD), ISI Web of Science (Thomson Reuters, New York, NY), and Embase (Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Also, a similar search was performed in the 2 Chinese databases such as Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang. Loney et al.’s criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the selected articles for this study. The combined prevalence of PTSD among the study population was estimated using the Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformation method. Subgroup analyses and a meta-regression analysis were carried out to explore the origin of heterogeneity. Thirty-nine eligible articles were included in this study. They comprised 43 123 typhoon and hurricane survivors of which 9373 were diagnosed with PTSD. The combined prevalence of PTSD among this population was 17.81%. Subgroup analyses revealed that the combined prevalence of PTSD related to typhoon and hurricane Categories 5, 4, and 2 showing a corresponding decreasing tendency. About 18% of people who experienced a severe typhoon or hurricane develop PTSD with the prevalence decreasing with reduced severity of the typhoon or hurricane.
Why Disagreement-Based Skepticism cannot Escape the Challenge of Self-Defeat
Authors: Grundmann Thomas
Published: June 2019

Global meta-philosophical skepticism based upon disagreement faces the problem of self-defeat since it undercuts its motivating conciliatory principle. However, the skeptic may easily escape this threat by adopting extensive meta-philosophical skepticism, i.e. the view that most of our philosophical beliefs are unjustified, except our beliefs in epistemically fundamental principles. As I will argue in this paper, this kind of skepticism still poses a radical challenge to philosophy as a cognitive discipline. Moreover, non-global skepticism that is still extensive undermines itself as well. The deeper reason for this is that this more modest kind of skepticism can only be motivated by the assumption that disagreement with philosophical peers is abundant and that we can identify peers only by relying on track-record arguments. But then one can argue for extensive meta-philosophical skepticism only if one presupposes that those philosophical beliefs that form the basis of track-record evaluations are justified. Here, the threat of self-defeat looms again. I will proceed by first defending the premises of this new anti-skeptical argument against standard objections from the literature. Second, I will show in more detail where the epistemic inconsistency arises in the argument for extensive meta-philosophical skepticism.
Radiocarbon Dating of Mortar from the Aqueduct in Skopje
Authors: Sironić Andreja , Borković Damir , Barešić Jadranka , Bronić Ines Krajcar , Cherkinsky Alexander , Kitanovska Ljiljana , Štrukil Vjekoslav , Čukovska Lidija Robeva
Published: June 2019

The Aqueduct is one of the city landmarks of Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. It was part of a water-supply system, with a total original length of about 10 km, while its surface remains are about 385 m long. The age of the Aqueduct is not known—several hypotheses place it to periods between the 6th and 16th centuries. Six mortar samples from different positions of the eastern façade were taken for radiocarbon (14C) dating. In order to extract only the carbon associated to the time of building, three strategies for sample preparation were used: (1) mechanical separation of lime lumps formed during mortar hardening (2) selection on the basis of particle size and the ability to suspend in water induced by ultrasonic shock, and (3) collection of two gas CO2 fractions produced from the same bulk in reaction with acid. Characterization of fractions was performed by isotopic carbon composition and FTIR-ATR analyses. The most plausible results were obtained from lime lump fractions that were dated in the timeframe of 15th to 17th century.
Sodium butyrate protects against high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress in rat liver by promoting expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2
Authors: Sun Bo , Jia Yimin , Yang Shu , Zhao Nannan , Hu Yun , Hong Jian , Gao Shixing , Zhao Ruqian
Published: June 2019

Oxidative stress is closely related to metabolic disorders, which can lead to various diseases. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a central regulator of oxidative stress. Sodium butyrate (NaB) has been shown to alleviate oxidative stress and insulin resistance, yet how Nrf2 is involved in the action of NaB remains unclear. In the present study, rats were rendered obese by feeding a high-fat diet for 9 weeks. NaB (300 mg/kg), which was gavaged every 2 d for 7 weeks, significantly alleviated high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress and insulin resistance. Additionally, the insulin signalling pathway in the liver was activated by NaB, associated with significant activation of Nrf2, superoxide dismutase and glutathione. Furthermore, hepatic up-regulation of Nrf2 in NaB-treated rats was associated with reduced protein content of histone deacetylase 1 and increased histone H3 acetyl K9 (H3K9Ac) modification on the Nrf2 promoter. The actions of NaB were completely abolished when Nrf2 was knocked downin vitro. Taken together, NaB acts as a histone deacetylase inhibitor to up-regulate Nrf2 expression with enhanced H3K9Ac modification on its promoter. NaB-induced Nrf2 activation stimulates transcription of downstream antioxidant enzymes, thus contributing to the amelioration of high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress and insulin resistance.
Increasing misreporting levels of induced abortion in Turkey: is this due to social desirability bias?
Authors: Saraç Melike , Koç İsmet
Published: June 2019

Women tend to under-report or misreport their abortion experiences, mainly because abortion is considered a sensitive issue for cultural, religious, political or other reasons in many countries across the world. Turkey, where induced abortion is an increasingly sensitive issue due to intense statements against induced abortion on religious grounds by influential politicians, and a hidden agenda to prohibit the practice, especially in public health facilities, in recent years, is no exception. This study focused on the increase in level of misreporting of induced abortion in Turkey and its link to social desirability bias using pooled data from 1993 and 2013 Turkish Demographic and Health Surveys. A probabilistic classification model was used to classify women’s reported abortions. The findings confirmed that the level of misreporting of induced abortions has increased from 18% to 53% among all terminated pregnancies over the period 1993–2013 in Turkey. This marked increase, especially among women in the lower socioeconomic sections of society, may be largely associated with the prevailing political environment, and increase in social stigmatization against induced abortion in Turkey over recent decades.